Back From Broken
by suitegleelife655
Summary: A series of events leaves Maya depressed, Zack wondering how life will go on, Cody in the midst of a horrible battle and Bailey struggling to fight for what is right. Along with all that, they have six children between them to love and care for. Can our four heroes bring their lives back together in time?
1. LA Bound

LA Bound

"This is so exciting! I can't believe we're actually here." Maya gushed as we stood in the elevator. I rolled my eyes at her.

"I know. I've been waiting ages to see LA and now we're here. We have to hit the beaches and check out the babes, Codester." Zack nudged his brother who immediately shook his head.

"No way man. I've got all the babe I could want right here next to me." Cody said, wrapping an arm around my waist. I grinned at him and he leant down to kiss my temple. Maya stomped on Zack's foot, not as hard as Barbara used to do to Cody but he still yelped a little.

"And you have a 'babe' already too, buddy-boy." She said as he looked down at his feet.

"Sorry baby."

"You're forgiven." The elevator bell dinged and we piled out into the corridor. Cody led the way down to our hotel rooms and unlocked the door to mine and his. Zack did the same with his and Maya's room across the hall. Both guys dumped their bags on the floor and picked up the girls, bridal-style.

"I love you Bailey." Cody said quietly as he carried me into the room. I laughed.

"I love you too Codykins." When we were inside the room, Cody put me down and I started walking through the suite checking it out while Cody brought the bags inside. He and Zack had a quick conversation in the hall and decided that we would spend an hour sorting our rooms out and meet together again in the main lobby for dinner at the hotel restaurant. After shutting the door, Cody joined me in the bedroom of the suite.

"This is so nice." I said, hugging him.

"Anything for you, sweetie." With that, we set to work unpacking our things for our two week stay. At one point I got distracted looking out the window at the view of the sea. Cody came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was just admiring the view."

"Okay. We're done here. What do you say we grab a shower and get ready to meet Zack and Maya?"

"Sure." I grinned at him and we spent the next twenty minutes showering and getting ready. Finally we made our way out, locking the door carefully behind us. Of course, we had to wait a little bit for the others, typical of them to be running late but we still made our reservations.

"So what are our plans for the next few days?" Maya asked once we'd been seated and ordered our food.

"Well, I think a lot of relaxing is in order." Cody sighed.

"Definitely. And beaches are a must. I was practically drooling over them looking out our window before." I said with a laugh.

"And we need to do some shopping to get souvenirs for the people back home." Zack let out a groan at Maya's suggestion.

"I want to get some groceries as well. I don't feel like eating out every night." Cody said and I nodded.

"It'll be good to get some good food once in a while."

"Come on. We're in LA. We're supposed to be having crappy junk food." Zack complained but Maya just gave him a look.

"Just because you're married now, doesn't mean you can let yourself go, bro." Cody said with a smirk.

"That goes ditto for you then, Codykins." I said, wiping the smile of his face. Maya and I laughed at the boys' expressions.

"Yes dear…" Cody sighed.

"So, how about we sit down after dinner and make a rough plan?" I suggested.

"Yeah. Then we can work our own personal stuff around it." Zack said, pulling Maya closer. She blushed a little and pushed him away.

"Maya, we're married. There's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, there's a lot to be proud of. A lot of women, and men, don't make it this far in a relationship."

"Says the player." Cody muttered, earning himself a glare from his brother and a gentle slap from me.

"I know. I'm just not eager to have the whole world know about our private life." Maya said.

"I hardly think Cody and Bailey are the whole world." Zack scoffed

"You know what I mean." She frowned at him. We continued the rest of our meal with meaningless chatter. Eventually, we made our way back up to our rooms. It was only ten but we were tired from our flight in so we decided to call it a night.

"Goodnight guys. And congratulations on your wedding." Cody said to his brother as we stood in the hallway between our suites.

"Same to you guys." Zack said. The guys hugged for a second and then stood back as Maya and I hugged tightly before splitting apart and following our guys into the suites. I don't know what Zack and Maya did once their door shut but in the suite I shared with Cody, it got really hot. What can I say? We're newlyweds. Can you really blame us?

The next morning, I woke before Cody but I just lay in his embrace, enjoying the closeness. A knock on the door startled me. Cody didn't stir so I wriggled out of his grasp and made my way to the door, donning my robe on the way. Maya was leaning on the door frame when I finally pulled the door open.

"Hey. Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was just wondering if you wanted to help surprise the guys for breakfast?"

"Uh, sure. Let me just grab some clothes. I'll be right back." Maya nodded and I quickly ran back into the bedroom, grabbing the first clothes I saw and throwing them on. London would just about have a heart attack if she saw what I was wearing but I didn't care. The two of us made our way down to the lobby in silence. Once we got out into the bright morning sunshine, though, we started talking animatedly about the previous night.

"I can't believe Zack can be so sweet. I said with a laugh. Maya poked me in the ribs at that.

"Says you. You're telling me Cody can be like an animal. I would kill to see that."

"Well hands off. You've got your husband and I've got mine."

"I know. I guess we'd both like to see each other's husbands being something they're not in public."

"Yeah. But we're never going to see it." I laughed as we entered the café we'd been looking for. We quickly ordered what we wanted and made our way back to the hotel. When we got back, we found a half asleep Zack, leaning on and pounding on the door to mine and Cody's suite. Maya put her finger to her lips and I giggled silently as she crept up behind him. She slowly slipped her hands over his eyes, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"Guess who?" I asked after she winked at me. The expression on Zack's face as he recognized my voice was priceless.

"B-Bailey? What are you doing? Cody's on the other side of this door." Zack began panicking and pulled Maya's hands off his eyes. By this time, both Maya and I were bent over laughing. He looked between the two of us, clearly confused.

"What's going on?" Cody pulled the door of our suite open and stood looking at the scene in front of him.

"I have no idea." Zack said, turning to his brother. Maya and I finally stopped laughing and began to explain what had happened.

"Maya and I went out to get breakfast for you guys. We found Zack half asleep in the hall when we came back and…" I trailed off into fits of laughter, leaving Maya to finish the story for me.

"I put my hands over his eyes and Bailey said 'Guess who?' to confuse him." Zack and Cody looked at each other, evidently wondering what they'd gotten themselves into.

"You two are dangerous together." Cody muttered, coming over to me.

"Morning sleepy head." I greeted him with a kiss.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was when I didn't wake up beside you?" He chastised me. I just laughed at him and led him into our suite. Maya did the same with Zack and before long we were all sitting around the table in our suite, sharing the breakfast Maya and I had bought.

"So, Zack, Maya tells me you're quite the gentleman behind closed doors." I said. Zack almost spit out his drink at my off-handed comment.

"What?" Cody was looking at me.

"Oh, don't worry. I know a few things too. I would love to see you get your claws out." Maya laughed, making fake claws and scratching at the air with her hands. Both guys went bright red and could hardly look at each other.

"I agree with Cody. You two should be kept apart from each other. You're dangerous." Zack told us when he recovered enough to talk.

"You're the ones who wanted a joint honeymoon." I reminded them, earning sighs from them both.

"We can't help it that we're good friends who like to talk about everything. And what else were we going to talk about on our way to get breakfast?" Maya asked innocently.

"Anything! Whatever you wanted, apart from your sex lives!" Cody cried, still unable to look at his brother.

Eventually Maya and I got tired of teasing the guys about last night and we cleared up the dishes. Then both couples spent an hour or so getting ready before we met back in the lobby.

"So, Hollywood or Disneyland?" I asked.

"I'm still dead from the plane ride so I think Hollywood is the best choice. I don't want to miss out on all the fun at Disneyland." Maya decided so we made our way out into the beautiful LA sunshine, heading towards Hollywood Hills.

"Hey Zack! Come here for a second!" Maya called as she stood near the base of the famous Hollywood sign. He went over to her and the pair posed for a few photos that Cody and I took before we switched and they took photos of Cody and I. After a while, we made our way down to Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame where we spent hours walking along, looking at the stars embedded into the sidewalk. Maya ended up buying a poster for some adventure movie that she and Zack loved.

"We can use it for decoration in our home theatre when it's done." She explained. As a wedding gift to both couples, our families had paid for us to build our new homes and they were being built while we were away. Of course, they wouldn't be finished until a while after we got back but the majority of the framing should be done.

By the end of the day, we decided to just order room service for dinner and ate in Zack and Maya's room.

"I can't believe we've been here a whole day. It feels like we've been here for a few hours. Before we know it, the care-free days of our honeymoons will be over and it'll be back to the normal everyday lives at home." Maya said as she snuggled up to Zack on the couch.

"I know. I don't want this to end." I sighed.

"Well, at least we know that once we retire, we have an idea for where we'll have our penthouses." Cody joked from behind me.

"You'd better remember this, Codykins." He just laughed at me and we settled back into meaningless chatter.

All too soon, our two week stay was over. We'd spent hours at the LA beaches, checking out Disneyland, shopping at various malls, and of course, having private time in our rooms at various points. We somberly packed our belongings and made our way to the airport. The flight home was quiet, with Maya and I sleeping on our husbands' shoulders while they talked quietly. We were met with open arms at the airport in Boston with Carrie, Arwin and London waiting to greet us. The whole drive to the Tipton was filled with the four of use telling them all the things we'd seen and done during our trip. When we arrived back at the Tipton, we went into the suite London had given us. It was a double suite meaning it had two separate bedrooms and a main living area. We went into our separate rooms and promptly fell asleep. It wasn't until the next day that we bothered to get our things unpacked. We only had a few days left until we had to get back to work and we spent those days catching up with our family and friends and writing out thank-you notes to everyone for the wedding gifts.

* * *

A/N: The rest of the chapters are going to be set with one day per chapter. There is a link on my profile to my polyvore so you can see the outfits of Bailey and Maya for each chapter as I imagine them. If you have any ideas for things that could happen to them, let me know. R&R :)


	2. Housewarming

(Bailey P.O.V)

The change from lazy honeymoon days back to work was hard for all of us but we slowly got back into our normal everyday lives. It was about two months later when we encountered a new change in our lives.

"Cody, what time are they coming over?" Bailey asked, coming into the kitchen of our new home where Cody was putting his culinary skills to use making a fabulous meal for the family who were due to arrive soon for a house warming party.

"Er, about ten. Why?"

"I just need to run to the store for a second. I shouldn't be too long and I should be back long before then." I explained, grabbing my car keys off the hook where they hung on the wall.

"Okay. Hurry back, though." He grinned at me.

"Always." I quickly ran out to the car and pulled out. Heading in the direction of the local shopping mall. It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for and it wasn't long before I was on my way back home, only to find Zack and Maya's blue Toyota Rav 4 already sitting out the front. I frowned. It wasn't like them to be early, let alone almost an hour early.

"The prodigal wife returns." Zack teased from the living room as I came in. I scowled at him before going to find Cody.

"Cody, why are they here so early?" I asked when I found him, still in the kitchen. He shrugged.

"I have no idea. They said they had something to tell us but wanted to wait for you to get back."

"Okay then, let's go."

"Just a second. I'll meet you in there." I nodded and made my way back into the living room and sat down opposite them. Maya shifted a little and I took in her outfit. She was wearing a short blue skirt and a white blouse that tied up in the front to reveal her toned stomach. Her hair was gently curled, flowing down her back. A pair of matching blur heels were on her feet and she accessorized with a silver locket, ring, bracelet and earrings. She looked really pretty, feminine. It was nice to see her out of her usual get-up of jeans and a t-shirt. Zack on the other hand was wearing loose fitting brown pants with a red checkered skirt and black converse shoes. It was hard to believe, if you looked at him, that he was 23 and married.

"So, you guys are looking good." I said, smiling at them.

"Thanks. I decided today was a good day to try out my new look." Maya replied.

"It suits you." Cody said as he came in, wiping his hands on the tea-towel he was holding. "So, what was it you guys wanted to talk to us about?" He sat down beside me, pushing my skirt out of the way so he didn't sit on it by accident.

"We kind of have some news but we wanted you guys to be the first to know." Zack said, smiling at Maya as she continued.

"We're pregnant!" I let out an involuntary shriek of excitement, jumping up and rushing to hug my friend.

"Oh my god! Really?" I asked, pulling back to look at Maya.

"It's as true as I'm standing here." She said with a laugh.

"Congratulations, bro. I guess we're two for two then." Cody congratulated his brother.

"Two for two?" Zack was confused but Maya looked at me excitedly.

"Are you serious?" she asked me.

"Yeah. We're pregnant too. We were going to announce it at the party." I said with a laugh. Zack finally got it and pulled me into a hug.

"Congrats guys. Bro, you'd better look after her."

"I will, as long as you look after Maya." Cody said from where he was hugging Maya. After that, Zack joined Cody in the kitchen while Maya and I sat in the living room.

"It looks like our lives are even more in sync than we first thought." Maya said.

"Yeah. I guess." I laughed at how interconnected our lives had become.

(Maya P.O.V)

I couldn't believe Bailey and Cody were expecting a baby as well now I'd have a friend to go through all of this with as well. As we talked, I admired her skill of putting outfits together. She'd gotten a lot better since being friends with London. She was wearing a pretty pink polka-dot dress with pink strappy high-heels. Pink daisies too residence on her ears ad she wore a simple ley necklace and diamond bracelet. Her hair was pulled into a low side-ponytail and curled. As usual, Cody was looking dapper in jeans and a shirt and blazer. I envied Bailey sometimes that Cody took that level of care in what he looked like but his border-line OCD and intensity of study was too much for me. I preferred a much slower, relaxed lifestyle.

"So, do you have an OBGYN lined up?" I asked.

"No. I'm going to the doctors next week. How far along are you?"

"Uh, about a month and a half I think. We went to the doctors last week and that's when we found out."

"Right, well we're about a month I'm guessing." Bailey and I kept talking about pregnancy and what our plans would be for what seemed like hours. We were only interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Bailey jumped a little as if she was woken from a daze.

"I'll be back in a minute." She said, dusting down her skirt. "Cody, people are here!" She called as she made her way to the front door.

"Okay. I'll be out in a sec!" Cody yelled from the kitchen. Zack appeared and sat down beside me.

"So, have fun talking babies, did you?"

"Yeah. It's nice to know I won't have to go through this alone."

"You'd never have to go through it alone, babe." He promised, giving me a quick kiss. We heard chatter from the door as Bailey let in whoever had arrived. The chatter became louder as they came closer and soon Bailey came back in, leading Carey Martin.

"Maya, Zack. It's good to see you." She greeted us, hugging Zack and then me. It wasn't long before the doorbell was ringing again and soon everyone had arrived; Woody, Addison, London, Marcus, Moseby, Tut, Arwin and Kurt. There were some others there as well, Jenny, David, Fiona and Michelle who all worked with Bailey as well as Tim, Courtney and Chloe from Cody's work. Even Maria and Daniel from ym work and Trinity, Michael, Greg and Paul from Zack's work were there. Everyone seemed to be getting along nicely and the food was amazing, as it usually was when Cody cooked. At the end of the meal, Cody and Bailey stood up.

"If we could have your attention, we have something we'd like to share with you all." As Cody spoke, Zack took my hand under the table and gave it a loving squeeze. The chatter silenced and everyone looked at the couple at the end of the table.

"We're having a baby!" Bailey said, to be met with squeals of excitement from Carey and the other ladies. Cody and Zack had a quick silent conversation before Zack looked at me, silently asking if I wanted to reveal our news too. I nodded and Cody turned back to his guests.

"Also, I believe Zack and Maya have something to say as well." He grinned as he and Bailey sat down.

"Er, yeah. My brother kind of stole my thunder a little, as usual but I can get by." Zack joked. Everyone laughed at him.

"What Zack is trying to say is; we're having a baby too!" I said, nudging him a little. Again, squeals of excitement filled the room. In moments, Bailey and I were swarmed with the women while the men converged around Zack and Cody. I have to say, it was one of the most overwhelming moments of my life.

(Bailey P.O.V)

I couldn't believe the reaction we were getting for the news. I mean, I'd heard that mothers get excited when their children get pregnant but this was simply amazing. Maya and I were bombarded with questions until late into the evening. Eventually, Zack noticed Maya yawning and began to intervene.

"Sorry ladies, we need to start heading home. We've got an early start tomorrow." He said, coming over to us. Maya smiled gratefully at him.

"I'm so sorry. We can talk about this later." Maya apologized, giving me a pitiful look. I stood up.

"I'm going to see them out." I quickly followed them out to the front door where I hugged them both.

"Congratulations guys. I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, sis." Zack said as he hugged me goodbye.

"I'll try and make it to your appointment, okay Bailey?" Maya told me. I nodded.

"Sure. I'll let you know the details." I stood watching as they made their way to their car and waved as they pulled away from the curb, honking their horn twice as a goodbye. Smiling to myself, I shut the door and made my way back to the party where I found Cody still surrounded by the guys.

"I'm going to start cleaning up, okay?" I whispered to him.

"Okay. I'll join you in a little bit." He gave me a kiss and I made my way into the kitchen. There wasn't much to be cleaned up but the food needed to be sorted out and put away. I got to work, slowly and meticulously getting everything away.

"Bailey?" I looked up as Michelle came in.

"Hey. What's up?" I put down the box I was holding and turned to face her.

"Not much. I just wanted to let you know that Jenny and I are going to head off now. I think some of the others are starting to leave now too."

"Okay. I'll come out and say goodbye then. I just needed a moment to clear my head." She smiled at me and we went back out to the living room. Michelle was right, most of the guests were beginning to finish up conversations and get ready to leave.

"Thank you for a great evening, Bails." Woody and Addison said goodbye first and as I led them to the door, I decided to just stand there and say goodbye to everyone as they left. I was left with tons of hugs and well wishes and finally, it was just Carey and Arwin left as she was giving him a ride back to the hotel.

"Remember, I'm only a phone call away if you need anything." She said to me.

"I know and I'm grateful."

"And Cody, you take care of your wife. She'll need all the support she can get from now on." She warned her son who just laughed.

"Well, I have no plans on going anywhere so she'll have to put up with me for a while longer." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder as he spoke pulling me closer. We stood there, illuminated by the lights behind us as we waved goodbye to them until we could no longer see the car.

"Well, I think it's just about time to turn in. What do you say?" Cody asked me, locking the door shut.

"I think so too. But let's finish putting all that food away. We can deal with the rest of the mess tomorrow." He nodded and within half an hour, we were pulling the covers up on our bed and snuggling closer together.

"Our life is about to change an awful lot, Bails." Cody whispered.

"I know. But we're ready for it."

"I know we are. And don't worry about having to do this alone at any time. Whatever you want or need, I'll do it. I am your slave for the next nine months at minimum."

"Thanks Codykins."


	3. New York, New York

(Maya P.O.V)

A week or so after the house warming party, Bailey and I decided that a weekend of shopping in New York would be good for us. So, I was currently sitting at the kitchen table of my house waiting for Bailey to pick me up, my suitcase sitting by the front door. Zack had already left for his last day of work for the week and was going to have some 'guy time' with Woody and Cody later on.

As I sat, I thought about how much my life had changed since I had made the decision to complete my senior year of high school at Seven Seas High. I had met the man of my dreams, gone to NYU, my dream college and gotten a job with Sony Records, the biggest record label in the industry. I spent hours listening to new music, meeting the stars behind it and helping to bring new music albums to the world. Sure it wasn't what I was looking towards during high school but I couldn't imagine my life another way. I'd also made an amazing group of friends, gotten married, built and moved into my own house and now I was expecting my first child.

Bailey honking the horn out the front snapped me out of my revere and I quickly threw back the rest of my water and hurried out the front door, grabbing my suitcase and locking the door behind me. I made my way down the driveway towards Bailey's green Toyota Yaris. After dumping my bag in the back, I climbed in and we set off on the three hour drive from Boston to New York.

"How has life been?" Bailey asked as we moved through the streets of Boston.

"Alright. I feel like I'm still getting used to being married and living with Zack full-time."

"I know how you feel. I still find it strange some mornings to wake up with Cody next to me."

"Before you got to my place, I was just thinking over how much my life has changed since I joined Seven Seas High."

"Yeah, I mean, neither of us would have met our dream guys and we wouldn't have seen the world as much either."

"And look at my job. Before I boarded the Tipton, I wanted to get into some sort of sporting job but look at me now! I'm at Sony Records."

"You deserve it. And you're not the only one who went in a different direction. Before the Tipton, I thought my life would be just being a farm-hand's wife. But instead, I'm married to the best guy in the world and starting out on my career of nursing."

"We really are lucky."

"You're telling me." Bailey laughed and reached over to switch on the radio.

"Any particular station you want to hear?"

"Do you have an iPod connection?"

"Yeah. You can hook yours up if you want." I fiddled around for a moment with the connection cable but soon the opening bars of the Beatles' 'Drive My Car' filled the car. We spent the rest of the trip singing along, occasionally swapping quick comments but otherwise simply enjoying each other's' company.

When we finally got to New York, we checked in to our hotel before flopping down on our beds.

"Careful you don't mess up your hair." I joked and she sat up so I could see her full outfit of a flowy floral top and denim shorts. Daisy earrings, heart and key necklace, a floral headband and a few simple chain bangles completed her list of accessories while her feet donned a pair of white wedges and her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail.

"Funny. You should be more worried about your own hair."

"Please. I hardly did anything to it this morning." We laughed a little before getting up to decide what we were going to do for the rest of the day.

(Bailey P.O.V)

It's so nice to be away from everything with Maya. A whole weekend doing nothing but relaxing and shopping is just what we need before charging head first into parenthood. For a moment I just watched as Maya pored over the brochure in front of her. She'd changed a lot since we'd first met, especially her style of clothing. Today her outfit consisted of a brown and white two-tone dress with a brown belt around the middle. Brown leather ankle boots and a matching tote bag complimented the dress perfectly. She accessorized with a daisy necklace and golden leaf earrings that were shown off by her hair being pulled back into a messy side braid.

"Staten Island Mall."

"Huh?" I jumped a little as I hadn't realized that she'd finished looking at the brochure.

"Staten Island Mall. That's where we'll go today."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, I got lost in thought." I grabbed my purse and keys and we ventured out into the Big Apple. We spent literally hours walking through every mall and shopping centre in New York and by Sunday evening, we were so tired that we almost decided to just stay another night and head back in the morning. But in the end, we packed up and were back on the road by seven and made the journey home, arriving at Maya's just before eleven. She waved goodbye tiredly from the front door as she waited for Zack to come out. When he did, I gave them both a quick wave and made the short ten minute drive to my place. Once I'd parked the car in the garage, I headed inside to find Cody sitting in the living room, watching some cooking show.

"Hey, Bails. How was your weekend?" He asked, switching the TV off when he saw me.

"Amazing but tiring." I said, flopping down next to him.

"Ready to go to bed then? You've got work tomorrow."

"Yeah. Let's head up.


	4. Named

A/N: I've skipped ahead through their pregnancies and now it's time to name the babies Sorry if anyone was wanting to hear what happened through those nine months.

(Bailey P.O.V)

I looked down at my new daughter, in awe. I could hardly believe she was finally here. It had been a rollercoaster of emotions these past nine months but Cody had been supportive the whole time. Right now he was standing beside me, staring down at me and our daughter with the most love in his eyes I'd ever seen.

"She's beautiful." He whispered.

"I know." We shared a smile at what we'd done together.

"What do we call her?"

"Kimberlee." I said without hesitation.

"Kimberlee Nicole Martin." He agreed, nodding. Soon the nurses came in and took her away to the nursery so I settled down to get some sleep while Cody went to reveal our good news to our family out in the waiting room.

When I woke, Cody was sitting beside me, Kimberlee cradled in his arms. He was cooing quietly to her and I just watched him for a while.

"You're a natural father." I said, startling him a bit.

"You're awake. Zack and Maya are outside. They wanted to come in about ten minutes ago but you were still sleeping."

"They can come in now." He handed Kimberlee to me and went to the door. Maya and Zack walked in, Maya carrying her own baby boy, Reed James. He'd been born about three weeks ago.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Maya greeted me, handing Reed to Zack and coming over to hug me gently.

"Like hell. But it was worth it."

"I know. I felt the same way after Reed was born. It's quite an amazing feeling, isn't it?"

"The best." We fell silent to listen to Zack and Cody talking.

"Congratulations, bro. You made it to fatherhood."

"I can hardly believe it."

"Yeah, well I didn't think I'd ever make it long enough in a relationship to get married, let alone have a kid with the woman I love."

"But you did it. And I'm proud of you Zack. People doubted you'd ever stop being a player and wouldn't grow up but you have."

"We're all proud of you Zack." I said, butting in. He came over and sat on the bed beside me.

"Thanks guys. Now, do I get to meet my niece or not?" I grinned and held Kimberlee out to him. She stirred slightly but stayed asleep. Cody hovered over his brother and daughter protectively until Zack looked up.

"Bro, I'm not going to drop her. You forget I've got my own son too."

"Sorry. I just don't want anything to happen to her." Cody apologized, stepping back.

"Don't worry about it Cody. I'm sure Zack would have done the same thing in your position, in fact I do remember him freaking out the first time Reed cried." Maya said with a laugh. Zack glared at her.

"I did not."

"You don't have to be ashamed of it, babe. I'm sure every new dad goes through the same thing you guys are." Zack sighed, defeated as he handed Kimberlee back to me.

"So do you know when you're allowed to take her home?" Maya asked.

"Either tomorrow or the next day."

"Great. We'll be sure to be over at yours when you get home." Maya hugged me again before she and Zack left. Once Cody and I were alone, a nurse came in to take Kimberlee to the nursery. Cody stayed for a while, just to keep me company but eventually he had to leave too and it was just me left in the room.

Sure enough, Kimberlee and I were released the next day and when we arrived home, we were bombarded with pink balloons and streamers everywhere. A big 'It's a Girl!' banner was hung across the front door.

"Congratulations!" There was a resounding chorus as we went inside and I turned to find my family and friends just about bursting out the living room door into the foyer.

"Codykins, did you so this?" I asked.

"No. This was Zack and Maya. All I did was give them the front door key." I shrugged it off and suddenly found Kimberlee was snatched out of my arms and being cooed over by her doting grandmothers. Deciding to let it go, I took advantage of not holding her to greet my friends and receive their congratulations. It was about half an hour before Kimberlee began to cry and she was shoved back to me as I laughed. Checking her diaper, I found that she needed changing so I gave her to Cody who sighed but carried her up to the nursery anyway.

(Maya P.O.V)

I sat on the couch cradling Reed to my chest, watching as Bailey mingled with her friends. It was good to see her getting along so well with everyone. And she looked good too, for someone who'd given birth only a few days ago. Her hair was pulled up into a loose bun to show off the diamond earrings Cody had given her and her traditional heart necklace nicely complimented her outfit of a black and white polka dot skirt paired with a white blouse with a black peter pan collar. I have no idea how she was managing to wear the simple black heels though. I mean, I was wearing heels but Reed was a few weeks old now. I would never have worn heels days after him being born. Eventually she sat down beside me, heaving a sigh and laying her head back on the back of the couch.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"I am so tired. I really just want to sleep."

"So take Kimberlee upstairs and go to sleep." I suggested.

"But the guests…"

"Will understand. You've been a mother for not even a week yet. And Cody's here to look after them for you as well as Zack and I."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Go." She pushed herself up off the couch and went to disentangle her daughter from Carey's arms. She whispered something to Cody, I'm guessing that she was going up to sleep, and gave him a quick kiss before disappearing into the foyer and up to her bedroom. Zack came over to me after a few more minutes and took Reed, cradling him gently.

"Who's my good boy, looking after your mommy?" He asked Reed who seemed to completely ignore him. "Where'd Bailey go?"

"She took Kimberlee upstairs to bed and she's going to have a lie-down too."

"Fair enough. Do you want to start heading home soon? It's almost time for Reed's nap."

"Yeah. Let's go say goodbye to everyone." So we slowly made our way around to the people we knew and began our goodbyes.

"Thanks for doing this, guys." Cody said tiredly as we got to him. Zack laughed.

"Tired, little brother?"

"A little I just want to sleep but with Bailey already upstairs, I can't really leave."

"Yeah you can, watch this…" Zack told him, turning back to the guests. "Oi! New Dad wants sleep, time to start moving!" He shouted out as Cody watched him in horror.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you need to sleep and you're too nice to say anything." Zack told him and as they spoke, people began to come up and give their final congratulations to Cody before making their way out the door, albeit with a few glares in Zack's direction. Cody shook his head at his brother but hugged him and me before we left.


	5. Cold Snap

(Bailey P.O.V)

A sudden cold snap hit Boston about two months after Kimberlee was born and we ended up staying indoors for most of the time. By the third day, Cody and I were getting sick of being cooped up. Cody called Zack and asked them if they wanted to come over for a while. They agreed and told us they would be over in about half an hour. Cody set to work whipping something up in the kitchen while I got Kimberlee and myself dressed. I ended up wearing a pair of faded jeans a black long sleeved t-shirt. I put a brown cardigan over the top and added my black ankle boots and gold key necklace, leaving my hair just hanging loose down my back. My final touch was a pale brown scarf wrapped around my neck. Just as I was carrying Kimberlee downstairs, the doorbell rang so I went to answer it, sitting my daughter on my hip.

"Hey, come on in guys." I greeted, opening the door. Maya was carrying Reed in a similar fashion to how I was holding Kimberlee while Zack was lugged down with the bags that we seemed to constantly have to carry around now. I led them into the living room and put Kimberlee into her play-pen. Zack piled the bags in the corner and took his son from Maya before putting him in with Kimberlee. The two babies looked at each other for a moment before simply playing with whatever toy they could reach. Maya and I sat down on the couch while Zack joined Cody in the kitchen.

"So, what have you guys been up to these past few cold days?" I asked.

"Not much. Zack's been working on Reeds new room. It's looking good so far."

"I need to get Cody onto Kimmie's. We've been talking and planning but so far we haven't done anything."

"What are you going to do for it?"

"Well, we kind of thought that we'd go for a pink and purple theme. We're going to put one of those hanging nets over the bed."

"Nice." Maya stood up to take off her jacket, revealing the black and white striped dress underneath which she had added black tights and her black ankle boots to. She had black and gold heart shaped earrings and necklace as accessories and her hair was half curled behind her. "We've got a superhero theme going on for Reed."

"How are you managing that?"

"Zack is painstakingly painting a city skyline along one wall and then he's going to put a 'bat signal' in the sky. And then we'll have your usual superhero blankets and stuff."

"And how's the skyline going?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. Zack won't let me in to see it. He wants it to be a surprise."

"That sounds more like something Cody would do. What's the bet he had something to do with it?" I asked with a laugh.

"Come to think of it, you're right; it does seem very 'Cody'. I wonder when they did this."

"I have no idea. But it's nice to know they're still getting along well enough to do that."

"Yeah. What are they doing in there, anyway?" She glanced over to the kitchen where we could hear the guys' voices drifting out.

"I have no idea. Cody was cooking something but that should be done by now. I'll just go and check on them." I pushed myself up off the couch and made my way over to the kitchen door and peeked in. Cody had his back to me, stirring something over the stove while Zack sat on one of the bar stools at the bench, resting his chin in his hand.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked. Both of them jumped a little before turning to look at me.

"Not much, I'm just finishing up this sauce for the pudding I made. Why?" Cody asked, not moving from his spot by the stove.

"No reason, Maya and I were just wondering what you guys were doing in here. I thought you were just making a batch of biscuits or something." I shrugged.

"Oh. Well, we'll be out in a little bit."

"Okay then." I went back over to find Maya sitting on the floor by the play pen, talking to Reed and Kimberlee. "They're coming out in a bit."

"Cody get carried away with his cooking?" She asked, laughing.

"Little bit. I thought he was just making some sort of cake or biscuits but it turns out he's making a pudding. The sauce takes forever apparently."

"Typical of Cody."

"I know. I ask him to make something simple for a few guests coming over and we end up with a meal good enough to go in a five star restaurant."

"I heard that!" Cody called from the kitchen, causing Maya and I to burst into laughter.

"That's not a very nice thing to say about your husband, Bailey." Zack commented as he came in from the kitchen, Cody following him a moment later.

"He'll get over it." I said, sitting down next to Maya and pulling Kimberlee out of the play pen. I held her under her arms so that her feet were touching to floor. "Hey, check out how clever she is." I said to Maya.

"What? There's no way she can walk yet."

"Nah but she can do this. Kimmie, dance for mommy." As I spoke, Kimberlee began to stomp her feet and wave her hands around. Cody laughed, having seen it before.

"Oh my god. How did she learn that?" Maya asked, laughing.

"No idea. We were just mucking around with her and Cody said dance and she started doing that. Now whenever we say dance she does that." I explained.

"It's so cute. I reckon she's going to be a dancer one day."

"Maybe. We'll see though." I put Kimberlee back in the play pen and joined Cody on the couch. The four of us spent the next few hours just chatting casually. Of course, we were occasionally interrupted by either Reed or Kimberlee crying. Cody brought out his pudding and it was devoured in minutes. By four in the afternoon, though, the conversation began to wrap up.

"We really need to be heading back. Reed's got a big day tomorrow." Zack said with a sigh.

"What's he doing?" I asked, not really wanting the afternoon to end.

"We're taking him to the mall to get some photos taken to hang up around the house." Maya explained.

"Nice. We should think about getting some professional pictures of Kim." Cody said and I glared at him.

"Don't call her that. It sounds like she's forty or something." I warned.

"It does." Maya agreed. "But we'll leave you two to sort out what you're going to call her. We need to hit the road." She picked up Reed and stood by the door with me while Zack picked up their bags. Cody made sure Kimberlee was secure in the playpen before following his brother out to his car. Maya strapped Reed in and I leant in to give my nephew a kiss before hugging Zack and Maya goodbye. We stood together waving as they drove out of sight.

"Bails, it's possible she'll want to be called Kim in the future anyway." Cody commented as we went inside.

"Maybe. But that's for her to decide when she's older. For now I don't want to be calling her a name that sounds like it belongs to a forty year old."

"Yes dear." He said with a sigh, shutting the door behind him. I went over to Kimberlee and picked her up, carrying her up to her nursery for her nap. When she was finally asleep, I joined Cody in the kitchen, our disagreement quickly forgiven and forgotten and we worked side by side to make dinner, something we'd been doing for a while now. All in all, the day was good and it made me wish the cold snap would last longer.


	6. Valentine's Day

(Maya P.O.V)

The cold snap ended up lasting through the majority of December and January, going well into February and Valentine's Day dawned quickly. Zack and Cody had been having lots of secret talks on the phone at night lately to plan some big surprise for Bailey and I but I have absolutely no idea what they were planning.

"Maya, what time are you heading in to work today?" Zack asked, coming into the nursery where I was getting Reed dressed.

"I'm supposed to be getting there at twelve."

"Okay, do you want me to take Reed to day-care on my way over to Cody's?"

"Er, sure." I was hesitant to say yes, not sure what Zack was doing. He rarely offered to take Reed to day-care and it was usually only when he wanted to suck up to me for some reason.

"What? Can't I want to have some father-son bonding time?" He asked, picking up on my hesitation.

"Zack, he's not even a year old yet. I don't really think father-son bonding is even understandable to him." I said with a laugh, handing Reed over anyway.

"I don't care. I'm just trying to make sure he gets his Boston heritage in deep before you get your New York claws in him. It would be a disgrace to the Martin name to have him as a Yankees fan." I sighed. This was an argument we'd had before. Whether to encourage them to become a Yankees fan like me or to become Red Sox fans like Zack.

"Babe, he's going to be a Yankees fan, there's no doubt."

"Not if I get to him first." He said as he left the room with Reed. I shook my head and quickly packed up the room before following him downstairs I was instantly met with hot pink balloons lining the stairs and pink streamers wrapped around the banisters. Zack was standing at the base of the stairs with Reed, holding a shiny silver envelope.

"Um, what's with all the pink?" I asked, slowly coming downstairs.

"Nothing. I just thought it sent a better message of love than a ton of red. Red always reminds me of anger…and Cody's hair." I let the comment about Cody's hair slide, reminding myself to ask him about it later. "But this is from the both of us to say happy Valentine's Day." He said, handing me the envelope.

"Aww. Thanks guys. I love getting presents from my boys." I said as I leaned in to kiss Zack. Opening the envelope, I found a reservation card for Lumiere, a French restaurant in Newton that I had been wanting to try out for ages. "Oh my god, are you serious?" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him passionately.

"I'm very serious. Anything for you, Maya. Tonight, we're dropping Reed off with Carey and then joining Cody and Bailey at Lumiere."

"You have no idea how much I love you right now." I said.

"I think I have an idea." He said with a laugh. We would have gone on but the clock on the wall chimed eleven thirty and I had to get to work.

"When you get home, get dressed up, because tonight, it's all about you." He told me before he disappeared out the front door.

The few hours I spent at work passed quickly and I soon found myself on my way home, thinking about what I was going to wear tonight. Thinking back to the pink decorations from this morning gave me an idea and when I got home, I set to work.

"Maya! I'm home!" Zack's voice echoed up to me as I put the finishing touches of make-up on.

"I'm in the bathroom!" I called back and in a few moments, he appeared in the doorway, letting out a whistle when he saw me.

"Looking good, babe." He said and I spun around so he could admire the simple but cute ensemble I'd put together. A plain black skirt with a hot pink long-sleeved t-shirt made the base with a pale pink cardigan over the top and black tights to keep me warm. Hot pink ballet flats on my feet with pink tear drop shaped earrings and a pretty pink necklace topped it off. My hair was loosely curled and hung in messy waves around my face, pulled back a little by a black headband.

"So you like it? I decided to go with your pink theme."

"I definitely like it. Let me just have a quick shower and we can head out, okay?" I nodded and went down to play with Reed while I waited. It didn't take long for Zack to reappear and we were on our way to the Boston Tipton to drop off Reed with Carey.

"Hey guys. Come on in." Carey greeted, opening the door when we knocked. I went in and Reed was immediately taken from me and smothered in kisses from his grandmother.

"Thanks for doing this mom." Zack said, putting Reed's things on the floor.

"No worries. Any excuse to see my grandson." Carey replied, still looking down at Reed. Zack shook his head and took hold of my hand.

"Well we have to be going but remember you can call us any time if you need."

"Zack, I raised you and your brother, I think Reed and I will be fine. I just wish your brother was letting me look after Kimberlee too." Rolling his eyes, Zack lead me out to the car and we began the drive to Lumiere.

"So who's looking after Kimberlee tonight?" I asked.

"I think one of Bailey's sisters is in town for the week or something and is staying with them."

"You certainly pay a lot of attention to your brother, don't you?" I said with a laugh.

"I was paying more attention to making this the perfect Valentine's Day for you than to what my brother was saying about his wife's sister."

"And I love you for it." I told him, putting my hand over his where it rested on the steering wheel.

"I love you too, babe." The drive didn't take too long and we were soon climbing out and walking the short distance from the car park to the restaurant.

"Hi, we have a reservation for four under Martin." Zack said to the person at the front.

"Right this way, the rest of your party hasn't arrived yet." He led us to a secluded table at the back of the restaurant. Zack sat down beside me and we began to look at our menus, ordering a bottle of wine for while we waited. About ten minutes later, Cody and Bailey arrived so we stood up to hug them. I loved Bailey's outfit, she definitely went with the Valentine's Day theme. A white woolen sweater with little black love hearts paired with a red skirt and red ankle boots. She had a pair of white stockings to keep warm and both her earrings and necklace consisted of little red hearts while her hair was curled and pulled into a wavy ponytail.

"Happy Valentine's Day Maya." Cody said as he hugged me and I heard Zack say the same thing to Bailey.

"Thanks Cody." We sat down and ordered our food, waiting till it had been served before we really got into talking.

"So, who's looking after Kimberlee?" I asked, hoping to get more out of Cody and Bailey than the vague comment from Zack in the car.

"My sister Bobbie is in town for the week on some business trip. She's staying in our spare room and she offered to look after Kimmie for us." Bailey explained. I stuck my tongue out at Zack who shrugged it off.

"We were going to get mom to look after her but when Bobbie offered, we thought it would be easier." Cody said.

"I wish my sister was still around to look after Reed." I said without thinking.

"Wait, what? I thought you said you didn't have any siblings." Zack turned to me and I realized what I'd said.

"Oh. Er, I… it's not really, you know, something I really want to, um, talk about at the table." I said, stammering out my words.

"Uh-uh. No way. You can't drop a bomb like that and then not say anything." Zack persisted. I tried to say something but as usual, I ended up just opening and closing my mouth like a fish, just like I always did when I tried to talk about my sister.

"Zack, leave her alone. She doesn't want to talk about it. Don't ruin Valentine's Day." Cody warned, cutting off his brother as he tried to urge me to talk. Bailey grabbed her purse and stood up.

"I'm going to run to the ladies, do you want to come, Maya?" She asked with a slight jerk of her head so that I knew she just wanted to get me away from the table for a bit. I nodded and grabbed my purse, shaking off Zack's hand and headed to the bathroom behind Bailey.

"Are you okay, Maya?" Bailey asked once we were inside.

"Yeah. I just need a breather." I rested my head against the cool tiled wall and sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I do but I can't. Every time I try, I just end up getting tongue tied." We fell silent and simply stood there for a while until we heard a knock on the door.

"Bails? Are you guys okay?" Cody's voice came through the door. Bailey raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded, taking a deep breath I followed her out and we went back to the table.

"I'm sorry Maya. If you don't want to talk about it, I shouldn't pressure you." Zack apologized.

"It's okay Zack." I smiled at him and it seemed that all was forgiven. Meaningless chatter overtook the table until dessert was served.

"So, we have some news for you guys." Cody said, holding Bailey's hand. I looked up expectantly.

"We're having another baby." Bailey told us and I squealed in delight.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We found out about a week ago." Cody said with a smile at his wife.

"There's not going to be much of an age difference between Kimberlee and this new baby is there?" Zack pointed out.

"Well she's almost six months old so there'll be about eighteen months between the two." Bailey told him.

"Fair enough. Hoping for a boy this time, Codester?"

"I'll be happy if I end up with another girl, as long as she's my child I don't care."

"He's right, Zack. Would you care if we had a girl next?" I said. He looked at me in surprise.

"Who said we're having more children. I'm still getting over the fact that we've got Reed." I pretended to pout

"I thought you said you wanted more children."

"I do but…" He struggled to find the words he wanted but I just laughed.

"I'm teasing you, babe. We're not expecting any more children any time soon." Bailey grinned at me.

"Fun isn't it?" She said.

"Definitely." The guys looked between us, not understanding what we were talking about but shrugged it off. All too soon, it was time to start heading back and pick up Reed. We walked out to the car park together where I hugged Bailey and Cody goodbye before sitting in the car as Zack said goodbye. He made short work of it and we were soon on our way back to Boston.

"Zack, I want to apologize for what happened at the restaurant." I said hesitantly after a while.

"You don't have to. I talked to Cody while you were in the bathroom and he told me it's better to let it go and you can talk about it with me when you feel up to it." He told me.

"I want to tell you, I really do. But I physically can't. Every time I try I either end up being tongue tied or I actually get sick."

"Maya, I love you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have done this for you tonight. And part of loving you means that I trust you too. If you end up telling me, I'll be all ears but if it never happens, that's okay too."

"Thanks. You have no idea how much that means to me." The rest of the ride to the Boston Tipton was silent as I tried to figure out a way to tell Zack about my sister.

**A/N: I know Maya is supposed to be an only child but I thought it would be fun to toy with the idea of her having a sister that isn't around anymore. As the story progresses, we will learn more about Maya's sister and what happened to her through a series of flashbacks as Maya struggles with trying to tell Zack the truth. **

**On the other hand, Cody and Bailey will have pretty smooth sailing for a few chapters but things will happen for them too. If you have any ideas on things that could happen to them, feel free to let me know. **

**Also, I want to have a vote on Cody and Bailey's children. I know they're going to end up with three children (I already have names decided) but do you guys want them to have a set of twins or have the children separately? **


	7. St Patrick's Day

_The sun glinted against the windows of the buildings as it slowly slid down the sky, disappearing for the day. Maya and Phoebe walked along the streets of New York, hurrying home after a visit to their grandmother. Normally, they would never be allowed to walk the streets by themselves at this time but their parents were busy and their grandmother couldn't walk very far. No-one in the Bennett family ever travelled in a Taxi and the subway was a definite no-no for the girls. So they had been trusted to walk the short distance from their grandmother's apartment to their own. Maya was hurrying along, practically dragging poor Phoebe along._

"_Maya! Wait up, I'm tired." Phoebe whined as she ducked around an old man who wasn't paying attention to where he was going._

"_Come on Phoebe. Mom and dad said we had to be home by quarter past seven and we still have ages to walk." Maya begged her younger sister. Sometimes she really hated how young Phoebe was. Why couldn't she just grow up already? At this point, Maya was twelve while Phoebe was nine. And sometimes the age gap was more trouble than it was worth._

"_But I'm tired!"_

"_I don't care. You can rest when we get home." Maya gave her a sharp tug that sent Phoebe sprawling forward. She began to cry and Maya sighed, going back to help her up._

"_Get up, baby. We'll never make it home at this rate." Maya swung the crying girl up onto her back, a surprising show of strength for a twelve year old. She continued her journey roughly pushing her way through the crowds, earning a few glares and a fair bit of verbal abuse but she just ignored it, her mind completely focused on getting home in time._

(Bailey P.O.V)

By the time St. Patrick's Day rolled around, the weather had started warming up a little. Cody had organized a family barbeque to celebrate the day and I was in the bathroom getting ready while he worked in the kitchen and watched Kimberlee. I stood in front of the floor-length mirror and admired my outfit. Okay, so it wasn't predominantly green but it still looked good. I had a simple black dress with green heels and I'd accessorized with emerald and diamond earrings and necklace. My hair was straightened and hung loose around my face. The final touch was a simple clutch purse, not that I really needed it but it just added more green to my outfit. Once I was happy, I joined Cody in the kitchen and we worked together to put the final touches on the feast Cody had prepared. Just as I was putting the marzipan clover on top of the green cake, the doorbell rang so I picked up Kimberlee and went to answer the door.

"Hi mom, dad. Come in." Of course my parents were the first ones to arrive. Once they were in, my mother took Kimberlee from me and began to shower her with love.

"Bailey, you don't spoil her enough." Mom scolded me. I rolled my eyes.

"She's fine mom. Cody's in the kitchen. I told them, seeing Carey and Arwin arrive. They disappeared into the kitchen and I could hear them talking to Cody.

"Hi Carey. Hey Arwin." I said when they got close enough and I accepted Carey's hug.

"It's good to see you Bailey. We haven't seen you for a while." Carey reminded.

"I've been busy, you know." I said with a laugh.

"Boy do I know." She replied with a laugh. I shut the door behind us and led them into the kitchen where my parents were still talking to Cody.

"Cody, didn't I say to stay out of the kitchen once the guests got here?" I said to him. He grinned at me.

"You can try to keep me out as much as you want but it's never going to happen." I shook my head and lead our parents out to the backyard where I'd spent the morning hanging up green streamers and lanterns. Taking Kimberlee, I left them to mingle and went to answer the door again for Zack and Maya.

"Hey guys."

"What's up Bailey?" Zack greeted, hugging me. Maya smiled at me but offered no further greeting.

"Still nothing?" I whispered to Zack once Maya was out of earshot. Zack sighed.

"No. I don't get it. I told her it didn't matter if she didn't tell me."

"I don't get it either, Zack. But clearly she stirred up some bad memory that night and it's not going away."

"Maybe take her to a psychologist?" Cody suggested, appearing out of nowhere.

"Oh yeah, like Mr. Blanket? No thank you." Zack scoffed at his brother.

"Not all psychologists are like him. Most actually have some sort of degree in Psychology. For all we know, it might actually help her."

"Help who?" Carey came up to us, wanting Kimberlee.

"Um…" I looked at Zack, not sure if he wanted to tell his mother.

"Maya." He said finally. Carey looked concerned.

"Is she okay?"

"Not really. She's kind of caught up in herself and has been since Valentine's Day." He explained.

"Why? Did you say or do something wrong?" Zack glared at his mother for that.

"No. It's got nothing to do with anything I did. But I don't really think it's something she wants everyone to know."

"Okay, I know when to back off. Just make sure you three look after her. She has a family to look after now." Carey told us and disappeared, taking Kimberlee with her.

"Where did Maya go anyway?" Cody asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she went outside." I suggested, looking around a little.

"I don't think so. She would have walked past me if she had."

"You guys go out to the others, I'll go look for her. I might be able to get through to her, if only just for today." I told them. They nodded and went off to the backyard. I made my way upstairs first, checking the bedrooms and bathrooms but she wasn't up there so I went down to the big rumpus room in the basement where I found her sitting in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest. She looked like a small child the way she was sitting with the saddest expression on her face.

"Maya?" I said softly, going over to sit in front of her.

"What?"

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to come up and join the others." As I spoke, the doorbell rang again but I ignored it, knowing Cody would get it.

"I do but I don't know what I can say to them. I'm scared I'll say something about that night and end up having a nervous breakdown." She confessed.

"What if I tell you I'll be right there with you all night to make sure you don't?

"Would you really do that?" I nodded.

"Of course I would. You're my best friend, Maya. Aside from Zack I am the person who would do the most for you." She smiled a little.

"There's just some things he can do that you can't." She tried to joke and I laughed.

"Okay, let's not take it that far." I stood up and offered her my hand. She took hold and I helped her up as she stumbled a little on her heels. As we made our way back upstairs, she shrugged of her creamy trench-coat to reveal a bright green halter-neck dress. Green clovers adorned her ears and a simple chain with a gold clover hung around her neck. A headband made of intricate lace held her hair back in a fancy up-do to finish of her look.

"You ready?" I asked as we walked through the kitchen and she draped her coat over one of the chairs. She took a deep breath and looked at me.

"I hope so." Together we went out onto the patio to discover London, Woody, Marcus and Addison had joined us. I looked around for Zack and when I saw him I sent him a look to say that everything was good for the night. He gave me a grateful smile and turned back to the barbeque where he was chatting to Cody.

"Looking good ladies." Woody came up to us after a moment.

"Thanks Woody. It pays to be the wife of a surgeon." I joked.

"Or a Red Sox GM." Maya butted in.

"I still don't get why you four get all the luck." He complained.

"You'll get it someday, Woody. You've got Addison and your daughter already." I pointed out.

"Yeah but we're just about broke." I rolled my eyes.

"Stop exaggerating. You and Addison do just fine. Not many people I know can start a successful restaurant and keep it going pretty much straight out of college." Woody grinned at us but walked away. The rest of the night went smoothly and I managed to get a few smiles out of Maya before she left. Later that night, when everyone was gone, Cody and I lay in bed together and he turned to me.

"I have no idea how or what you did, but both Zack and Maya looked a lot happier when they left tonight."

"I did nothing." I told him and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Uh-huh. You always do something, but that's why I love you Bails." He grinned.

"I only do what needs to be done. Other than that, I let people do what they want."

"If you say so. Good night, Bails.

"Good night Codykins." He gave me a gentle kiss before we both fell into a peaceful slumber.

**A/N: From now on, I'm going to be including Cody and Zack's points of view so we can hear more about what they are thinking and feeling. Today I sat down and plotted out where the story is going and I've set out summaries for each chapter as I've found that not doing that in the past has caused me to forget where I wanted the story to go and I've ended up just ditching it. Do you guys want me to post a preview of the next chapter at the end of each one?**

**Also, you may have noticed that I have changed the description. I just thought that what it was before didn't really describe the story all that much. I am also planning to change the title of the story, because I think 'Cailey and Zaya' is too boring for what's going to happen in the story. I just have to think of a good one first, if you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know.**


	8. Double Trouble

(Bailey P.O.V)

November came around and surprisingly, it is still fairly warm. I ended up having twins this time around and about four weeks ago, they came into the world. So now Cody and I have Lachlan Alexander, our youngest and Karlee Jane who is the middle child. Kimberlee wasn't too sure what to think of having two new babies in the house for the first day or two but she seems fine now. Today was my first day back at work since they were born. Cody has been at work for about a week now but he decided to take they day off so that I felt a little better about leaving the twins at home.

Pushing the door of the office I was currently assigned at, I was greeted by congratulations from my co-workers. I grinned at them as I made my way to the small cubicle that was referred to as 'my office'. Let me just set this straight though, I am still a nurse but right now I am doing more behind-the-scenes things like paperwork so that I had a little bit more of a stable schedule. Once the twins and Kimberlee were a little bit older, I would go back to the hands on side of nursing.

"You're looking good, for someone who's just had twins." My friend Mary complimented me as she leaned over from her cubicle. I looked down at my simple outfit of a short black skirt and a blue shirt and smiled.

"Thanks. I do try my best to look good."

"Well you do a good job of it." She sat back down and I turned back to my desk with a sigh. I had a pile of paperwork ten miles high to deal with and my feet hurt at only nine in the morning. Making a quick decision, I kicked off my cream colored heels and dove straight into my work.

_(Flashback)_

_Fortunately Maya and Phoebe made it home in time that day and for a while, life continued smoothly. At least, until school started up again. Waking early, Maya slowly got herself ready for school, singing softly to herself. She would never let anyone know, but she actually enjoyed going to school each day for the sheer prospect of being there. While at school, she could be whoever she wanted._

"_Maya? Can you help me?" Phoebe asked quietly, coming into the kitchen as Maya made her lunch for the day. Maya sighed and turned to her sister, her stomach doing flips at the sight of the big bruise covering Phoebe's eye. No matter how often she saw it, it never got any better._

"_What do you need help with, Phee?" she asked._

"_I need to cover the bruise." Phoebe told her, holding up a foundation stick. Maya nodded and gestured to one of the bar stools by the kitchen counter. Phoebe clambered up and closed her eye to allow Maya to apply the foundation. As gently as she could, she covered the bruise, cringing inside every time Phoebe gasped a little if she pressed too hard. It took a little while to get it just right but when she was done, you could hardly tell that the bruise was there._

"_All done. Now hurry up and finish getting ready for school." Maya told her, handing the foundation stick back to her. Phoebe jumped down from the bar stool and ran off to get ready. Maya watched her go with mixed emotions running through her._

(Maya P.O.V)

I sat in my office, staring at the picture of Zack and Reed that hung on the wall. I knew that my silence was affecting them as well but I was still battling my own demons. I needed to accept my past by myself first before I go telling others.

"Mrs. Martin?" I was startled out of my thoughts by my secretary poking her head in the door.

"Anna, how many times have I told you, call me Maya?" I sighed, straightening my papers.

"Sorry Maya. Your husband is here to see you."

"Let him in." Anna disappeared and in a few moments, Zack came in, carrying a garment bag and a shoe box. I eyed him suspiciously.

"What are you doing?"

"You need cheering up and the only thing I can think of is taking you out for a night of dancing to take your mind off everything." He told me holding the garment bag out to be. I laughed and shook my head but took it anyway, ducking into the small bathroom that adjoined my office. Inside the bag I found a pretty blue halter-neck dress. I slipped it on and opened the small jewelry box I found at the bottom of the bag to reveal sapphire and diamond earrings and necklace. Thankfully, I had a few bobby-pins always on my person and I used them to pull some of the curls in my hair up to create a fancier look. I headed back out to find Zack leaning against my desk with the shoe box which he handed to me.

"Zack, you really didn't need to buy an entire new outfit for me." I told him, pulling out the pretty blue heels that were in the box.

"I know that. But I wanted to." Once the shoes were on, I went over to him and kissed him.

"I love you Zack." I whispered afterwards, leaning my forehead against his.

"I love you too Maya." With that, he led me out to the car and we drove off. The drive wasn't long and we soon got to a small restaurant where they cleared the floor of tables around eight so that couples could dance if they wanted. We sat down at one of the tables to the side of the room and ordered our food.

(Zack P.O.V)

"Maya, I'm worried about you. It's been months and you keep pulling further and further into yourself. I worry that it's going to affect the baby." I said as we ate.

"I know you're worried. I'm worried too. But I don't know how to deal with what I'm feeling. When I was younger, I thought I'd hidden them deep enough that they wouldn't hurt me anymore but then I said that one stupid thing on Valentine's Day and they've come back to haunt me."

"I know but surely you can at least suppress them a little like you used to? If not for yourself or even Reed and I, then for the baby."

"I wish I could but it's just so hard and as an adult, I'm seeing things differently and it just makes it all worse."

"So tell me. Tell me what's bothering you." She looked at me.

"I want to but I just… I can't." I sighed and put my fork down. I watched as tears sprung to her eyes. I stood up and offered her my hand.

"Look, you won't tell me but I promised you a night of dancing to take your mind off it all, didn't I? So let's dance." She accepted my hand and we moved to the dance floor where I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close. She put her arms over my shoulders and rested her head on my chest. We danced slowly for what felt like hours before I finally pulled back to look at her.

"Maya, you are the most amazing woman I've ever met in my life. I love you more than you could ever begin to realize. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. You and Reed and the baby all mean so much to me and it would kill me to lose any of you."

"I know Zack. And I'm doing everything I can to make it better but I need time."

"I- I talked to Cody and he suggested a psychologist of some sort might help."

"You want me to talk to a shrink? Did none of you learn anything from Mr. Blanket?" She stopped dancing and stared at me as if I were crazy.

"No, I don't want you to talk to a shrink. I want you to talk to me but a psychologist, a fully qualified and trained one, might be able to help you figure out what's going on."

"I don't know, Zack. I mean, I get what you're saying but what if it just makes everything worse instead of better?"

"Then it's a risk we'd have to take. I'm not saying we have to, but we could look into it and give it a try if you want to." She started dancing again and sighed.

"Maybe. But let's wait until the New Year. It's only a few weeks away."

"Okay." We danced pretty much in silence until the restaurant closed and we made our way home, exhausted from the evening.

"Zack, I promise that if nothing changes by the start of the year, I will go and talk to a psychologist about it all." She said as we got ready for bed.

"Thank you. That means a lot." I kissed her as we climbed in and I pulled her close, holding her against me. "I love you Maya."

"Goodnight, Zack." I stayed awake for hours, watching as she drifted into sleep, her hair splayed out on the pillow. She looked so gorgeous, it was hard to believe that she was going through all this stuff. I thought over the evening and how it had turned out. She had seemed a little happier by the time we left but nowhere near what she used to be. It was like the spark of happiness had gone inside her. I used to be able to see a glint in her eye when she looked at me but now her eyes were just blank most of the time.

I wondered if telling her about Cody's psychologist idea was a good thing. She'd seemed quite hurt when I brought it up. She knows I love her and that I'd do anything for her but when I'd told her that I thought a psychologist might help, I could practically see her trust in me fall away. I don't know why she felt like that but I saw the tears in her eyes and after being with her for so many years, it's hard to not know how to tell what she's feeling. Slowly I felt myself drifting off to sleep too but it was hours after she did.


	9. Something's Missing

(Bailey P.O.V)

The twins' first Christmas passed easily and we were now counting down the hours before the New Year was upon us. Zack had organized a New Year's Eve party at his and Maya's house and Cody and I were currently getting ready for it. Well, I was getting ready. Cody was already dressed and was making sure the kids were ready to go.

"Bailey, hurry up! We're going to be late." Cody called up the stairs.

"I'm almost ready!" I called back, putting my amethyst earrings. I took a last look at myself in the mirror and smiled. The earrings and matching necklace went nicely with the purple skirt and shoes. I went downstairs to find Cody on the couch with Kimberlee sitting on the floor between his knees as he tried to braid her hair. So far, he wasn't really getting anywhere.

"Codykins. Give it to me." I said with a laugh. He dropped his attempt at a braid and I took his place behind Kimberlee, quickly pulling her pretty blonde hair into a braid.

"Why can I never do it?" Cody asked, watching me work.

"Hairstyles are a female thing, sweetie."

"They said the same thing about cooking, back in the fifties." He protested.

"Yes, but with cooking, you have complete free reign over what you do. With hair, you're restricted by your fingers." I finished the braid and turned Kimberlee around to look at her. "You look beautiful, honey."

"Am I pretty daddy?" She asked, looking at Cody.

"Always, princess." He picked her up and spun her around as she let out a high pitched giggle.

"Alright. Are Karlee and Lauchie ready?" I asked.

"Yeah. Are you good to take Kimmie to moms?"

"Yeah. Come on Kimmie, let's go see nana. Say goodnight to daddy." I said. Kimberlee gave Cody a kiss and wriggled out of his grip, running over to me.

"Night, night daddy." She said.

"I'll see you in a bit, Cody." I gave him a kiss and went out to the garage, putting Kimberlee in the backseat of my car. As we pulled out, Cody appeared with the twins, taking them to his red Toyota Kluger. I waved out the window and smiled.

"Mommy, are you seeing Uncle Zack?" Kimberlee asked after a little bit.

"Yes, I am sweetie, why?" As I talked to her, I looked at her in the rearview mirror

"Can you say hi for me?"

"Sure."

"Thank you mommy." She fell silent and for a few moments, I was left to negotiate the icy roads.

"Mommy?" We were starting up after waiting at a red light when she piped up again.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"What is that car doing?" She said pointing to my right. I turned to look at what she was talking about just in time to see a big blue Land Cruiser speeding through the intersection, clearly out of control. Willing myself not to panic, I tried to steer out of the way but the tires of my car slipped on the ice and the next thing I knew, we were spinning around and around and the other car was heading straight towards us.

"MOMMY!" Kimberlee cried from the backseat. I could hear the fear in her voice but I shut her out, focusing only on getting the car back in control. The other car came hurtling towards us.

"Kimberlee!" I cried as I felt the entire car shake from the impact and that's the last thing I remember before it all went black.

(Cody P.O.V)

It took me a while to get the twins fastened in the car but eventually, we were on the road to Zack and Maya's. Karlee was making sounds from her seat while Lauchie was sleeping. The drive was short and soon I was pulling into the driveway. Zack must have heard me because he came out to help with the twins.

"Hey, bro. Good to see you." He greeted me with a hug.

"Good to see you too. How's Maya?" I regretted asking as soon as I had. His face fell and he sighed.

"Not doing any better. She seemed to perk up a bit during the day while she was in the kitchen but she's just moping around now."

"Maybe Bailey can help."

"Yeah. Hey, where is Bailey?"

"Oh, she's taking Kimberlee to moms for the night. She shouldn't be too much longer." We took the twins inside and put them in the makeshift play pen in the living room before I went into the kitchen to find Maya.

"Hey Maya. How's it going?" I said when I found her in the kitchen.

"Hi Cody. I'm alright." There was a sadness to her voice still. I smiled at her.

"You're looking good." I told her, nodding towards her stomach.

"Thank you Cody." That was all I could get out of her so I turned to go back to the living room, finding Zack leaning on the door frame. He went into the living room but turned to me when I came in too.

"See? She's just lifeless. The spark of happiness is gone."

"I know. It'll take time, but she'll come back. I know it."

"I really hope so." Zack looked like he was about to say something else but my phone started to ring.

"Sorry, I'll just answer this." I apologized and slid the answer button across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Is this Cody Martin?" An unfamiliar voice asked. I frowned.

"Yes, this is he."

"I'm Officer Davies, your wife's been in an accident. She's being taken to the hospital now."

"Oh my god. What about my little girl, is she safe?"

"She seems to be fine, just a few bruises. We're taking her to the hospital as well to check for concussion."

"I'm on my way. Which hospital is it?"

"Mass General. An officer will meet you at the main entrance."

"Thank you, I'll be there as soon as I can." I hung up the phone and turned to look at Zack who was playing with Karlee and Lauchie.

"What's up little bro?" He asked when he realized I wasn't on the phone anymore.

"Bailey's been in an accident, she and Kimberlee are being taken to Mass General now. Can you look after the twins for me while I go to the hospital?" I begged but he shook his head.

"Uh-uh. We're coming with you. You're in no state to drive."

"But the party-"

"We'll call the guests on the way and explain the situation. Come on, get the twins in the car and give your keys to me. I'll drive you there. I'll go tell Maya." He took charge and I tossed my keys to him before picking up Lauchie and taking him out to the car. When he was in, I went back for Karlee. By that time, Maya was coming down the stairs from grabbing her jacket and was busy talking to someone on the phone, her other hand occupied by Reed's tiny hand. It was the most animated I'd seen her since before Valentine's Day. Zack was nowhere to be seen but I could hear him in the kitchen, putting things away. Maya followed me out to the car and sat in the back beside the twins, still talking on the phone. Reed was put in the fold down seats in the back. I went around and sat in the passenger seat to wait for Zack. Just as I was getting impatient, I saw him rushing out the front door. He jumped into the drivers' seat and started the car, pulling out of the driveway before he'd put his seatbelt on.

"Sorry, I remembered that we'd left the portable heater running in the basement and I thought I should probably turn it off." He apologized.

"That's okay, as long as we get to the hospital eventually." I tried to keep the panic out of my voice. He shook his head at my horrible attempt and put his foot down. Trust him to be the one with the lead foot. We eventually made it to the hospital and I bolted out of the car towards the main entrance where a police officer was waiting.

"I'm Cody Martin, I'm looking for my wife, Bailey." I said as I approached. He nodded.

"Right this way, sir." He turned around and began to lead me down the corridors till we finally came to the room Bailey was apparently in. "She's in here." He gestured and I pushed the door open. I'd seen a few patients from car accidents come through during my residency but it was still a shock to see Bailey like that. She had a neck brace on and an oxygen mask covering her face while various other instruments let tubes to various beeping machines. I could tell she wasn't awake but I still ran over to her and grabbed her hand.

"Are you Cody Martin?" I heard a voice behind me and I turned to find a doctor coming into the room.

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"I was told to give you an update on your wife and daughter."

"Oh, go ahead."

"Well, your wife is currently unconscious, as you can probably tell. She has a fairly deep cut on the side of her face from broken glass and other smaller cuts up her arm. A sprained wrist and dislocated knee complete the list of injuries for her. Your daughter, on the other hand is very lucky. She's come away with only a few scrapes and bruises. She's been checked for a concussion but seems to be fine, however because she is so young, we would like to keep her for the night for observation." I hated how monotonous he sounded but I knew he probably had to be saying things like this to people time and time again.

"Thank-you. Can I go see my daughter?"

"We can have her brought here if you'd like." He offered, sounding a little bit more like a person than a robot assigned to pass on information.

"Yes please. Oh, and my brother and sister-in-law are here somewhere too, could someone tell them where to go, please."

"Certainly, I'll just go and get your daughter for you." He left the room and I turned back to Bailey.

"Bailey, I know you probably can't hear me right now, but I want you to know, I love you so much. I don't think I could live without you, especially with three kids at home. We all need you, so please, come back to us soon." I begged.

"DADDY!" When I heard that magical word, I turned around to find Kimberlee being pushed in a wheelchair into the room but she jumped out when she saw me, running over. I caught her gently and hugged her.

"Hey princess. How are you?" But she wasn't interested in me anymore, she'd seen her mother over my shoulder.

"Daddy, what's wrong with mommy?"

"She's asleep, sweetie. Because she got hurt in the car and she needs lots of sleep." I tried to explain it in the simplest way. She seemed to accept that and finally returned my hug.

"Mr Martin? We need her to stay calm. If you could get her to sleep, that would help a lot." The doctor said. He looked tired and I grinned, guessing that he'd been looking after Kimberlee for a while.

"I can do that." I told him and he turned to leave, just as Zack and Maya appeared, each carrying one of the twins while Maya held Reed by the hand. Seeing her cousin, Kimberlee tried to wriggle out of my grip and I silently groaned. Now it would be really hard to get her to sleep.

"There you are." Zack sighed.

"Sorry, I would have helped but-"

"It's okay Cody. We understand." Maya said, putting Lauchie down on the sofa by the wall. Zack did the same with Karlee and told Reed to sit on the floor beside it. He did and sat drawing pictures with his fingers on the floor.

"Kimberlee, can you go and join Reed for me?" I asked.

"Yes daddy." She said. I put her on the floor and she went over to sit beside her cousin.

"She doesn't look too bad." Zack commented, looking at Bailey.

"I know. It could have been worse." I said and told them what the doctor had told me earlier. For ages, the three of us sat in silence together, just watching over Bailey and the four children.

"You know, I'm kind of thirsty, do you guys want anything?" Zack said after a while.

"Yeah, just some water for me." I said, not looking at him.

"I'll go with you." Maya offered and he didn't protest. So they went off, leaving me to make sure the kids didn't leave. Well, Karlee and Lauchie were asleep but Reed and Kimberlee were still talking.

(Maya P.O.V)

I followed Zack down to the hospital cafeteria and sat at one of the tables while he ordered some drinks. While he waited, he came and sat down with me.

"How come you offered to come with me?" He asked.

"I didn't really want to stay in there." I told him and he nodded.

"Fair enough." He smiled at me.

"Zack, I think I'm ready to tell you about my sister." I blurted after a moment. He looked at me.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

_(Flashback)_

_Once again, Phoebe and Maya were walking home from their grandmother's apartment. This time, it was early afternoon and they were both older. Maya was almost fifteen and Phoebe was twelve. They were arguing, as usual._

"_Maya! Come on, please?" Phoebe begged._

"_No. We're going straight home."_

"_But Maya-"_

"_I said no Phoebe. God, grow up already."_

"_I'm trying to but you're not letting me."_

"_Really? That's what you think? I'm not letting you? Phoebe, if that's what you think, you'd better take another look at reality."_

"_Seriously? You're my sister Maya. You're the one who's supposed to encourage me to do things like this."_

"_Maybe, but that is just too crazy so I'm saying no."_

"_You're mean."_

"_And you're a baby. Do you see me complaining? No. Get over it."_

"_Ugh, I wish I didn't have to stay with you."_

"_And I wish I never had to put up with you in the first place. We don't always get what we want, stupid."_

"_That's a horrible thing to say." Phoebe gasped and let go of Maya's hand. Maya stopped and turned to look at her sister. Phoebe once again had a black eye. They had covered it that morning with makeup but Phoebe's tears were washing it away._

"_Okay, I'm sorry. But I'm still saying no. now can we go home? I have homework to be doing."_

"_Fine. But I'm not holding your hand."_

"_Whatever." Maya stalked off, sensing Phoebe behind her. It wasn't until she reached the lobby of her apartment building that she knew Phoebe wasn't there. Paul, the doorman greeted her as usual._

"_Good afternoon Miss Maya. Where's your sister today?" Maya frowned and looked behind her but Phoebe wasn't there. She ran back out into the streets, going back the way she'd come, all the way back to the café where they'd stopped. But Phoebe was nowhere to be found. Maya began to panic as she headed back to her apartment building._

"_Paul I can't find her! I thought she was behind me and-"_

"_Hey! Miss Maya. She'll be okay. I'm sure she just went a different way home. Why don't you go up to your apartment and I'll keep an eye out for her?"_

"_Okay." Maya said and pushed the button for the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive. On the way up, she thought about what she would say to her parents. Fortunately they weren't home yet so she went to the kitchen and made herself a sandwich before watching the TV for a while to take her mind off things._

(Maya P.O.V)

"She and I were walking home from our grandmother's apartment. We were fighting. I can't even remember what about. I stormed off and assumed she was following me. When I realized she wasn't I traced my footsteps to find her but I couldn't. I went back to the apartment, thinking she'd come home eventually. But before I knew it, mom and dad came home and she still wasn't there."

"So she went missing?" I shook my head.

"Let me finish. There was a huge row when my parents got home, they accused me of not looking after her properly. I cried all night but it didn't bring her back. We got a call the next day saying that her body had been found in an alleyway not far from our apartment building. From then on, my parents blamed me for her death. They barely talked to me anymore and eventually I couldn't take it anymore and applied to Seven Seas High. Getting on board that ship was the best thing in my life and from the first day on board, I blocked all memories from my life out. My parents were all too happy to pay for me to go to school there and go to a good college as long as I stayed away from them. That's why you never met them." Zack just looked at me.

"So you blame yourself for your sister's death?" I nodded.

"If I hadn't stormed off, she would have been right beside me and she wouldn't have been taken. We shouldn't have been fighting." Our drinks were delivered to us and we picked them up, slowly walking back to Bailey's room.

"Maya I-" Zack cut himself off, as if he didn't know what to say.

"Don't. Just leave it. I told you what happened so just let it go." When we got to the room, I heard voices coming through the door. Opening the door, I saw Cody talking to Reed. Kimberlee had fallen asleep on the couch beside her brother and sister. He heard us come in and turned around in his chair.

"Hey guys." Zack handed him the bottle of water and went to lean against the wall without saying anything.

"Um, is he okay?" Cody asked me.

"Yeah he's fine." Cody looked like he wanted to know more but I didn't tell him. For ages, the three of us sat in silence. Reed eventually fell asleep next to Kimberlee and the only sound in the room was the frequent beeps from the various machines. Doctors came and went, checking that Bailey was okay. Cheers from down the corridor told us that it was midnight but we still sat in silence. Eventually Zack stirred and pushed himself off the wall.

"Codester, we're going to head home. We'll take the twins and Kimberlee as well so they get some proper sleep. Call us in the morning to let us know what's going on, okay?" Cody let out an affirmative grunt but otherwise stayed silent. Zack moved over to the kids and began waking up Reed and Kimberlee. Both kids woke up and were disorientated but understood that it was time to go. Kimberlee didn't want to go without her father but we eventually encouraged her to come with us. I picked up Lauchie and took Kimberlee's hand while Zack took care of the other two, following me out the door.

"We're thinking of you, bro." He said before shutting the door. We slowly led the two half asleep children out to the car and got them in. We made the trip home in record time and it wasn't long before Reed and Kimberlee were asleep in Reed's room while Lauchie and Karlee were in the guest room. Zack and I crashed into our bed around one thirty.

"Maya, I'm really proud of you for telling me about your sister."

"I'm proud of myself. It feels like a weight off my shoulders."

"I love you Maya."

"I love you too." He pulled me closer to him and fell asleep with his arms wrapped around me. I lay awake for a while, thinking over the evening. Had I been right in leaving out the most crucial detail of my story? I didn't know. The only way to find out was to see how life went for the next few weeks.

* * *

**Preview:** Valentine's Day has come around again and Maya is still keeping part of the story a secret from Zack. They have a horrible argument that leads to a very tough few weeks for everyone. By this time, Maya and Zack's new baby has been born and that makes it even tougher for the struggling couple.

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who have worried about Phoebe, don't worry, she will make appearances still. Remember, Maya still has a small part of the story hidden from Zack. Exactly what she is hiding will be revealed in time. Thank-you to all you wonderful people who take the time to read my story, you guys make it worth while to continue :)**


	10. Valentine's Day Part Deux

(Maya P.O.V)

Bailey woke up two days after the accident. She was a little disorientated but otherwise seemed fine. Cody was ecstatic that she'd woken up and immediately called Zack and I as we were still looking after the twins and Kimberlee. With a sprained wrist, she wasn't able to use crutches for her dislocated knee, instead having to use a wheelchair but Cody helped her and it wasn't long before her wrist healed and she was able to just use a knee brace. She was given a medical certificate to say she couldn't work and she spent the majority of January at home with her kids.

By February, she was getting bored with sitting at home and asked to go back to work. The doctor was unsure but she promised that she would stop working if her knee began to bother her too much. So, a week before Valentine's Day, she arrived back at work and she began to perk up again. Her three kids weren't too happy but they would get over it.

Me on the other hand, I was still wondering if I should have left that part of the story out. I definitely felt a lot better after telling Zack most of the story and life within our house was happier. Our second son, Jaeden Paul was born in mid-January and Reed was overjoyed to finally have a little sibling to play with, although he didn't understand why Jaeden was always sleeping, no matter how many times Zack and I tried to explain that he used to sleep that much too.

Once again, Zack and Cody were busily planning Valentine's Day and I hoped that this year would have better results than last year. We were having a fairly warm winter this year and it was warm enough that a summer dress would be suitable for the evening. So I sat in the bathroom after work, putting the final touches to my make-up.

"Are you ready to go Maya? Remember we've still got to drop off Reed and Jaeden." Zack stuck his head through the door.

"Hold on a second. I'm almost done."

"Okay, I'll get the boys in the car." Carey had offered to look after the boys as well as Cody and Bailey's kids. At first, we were a little wary but she reminded us that she'd brought up Zack and Cody by herself and there was always Arwin and Esteban to help if she needed. Or even London who still lived in the penthouse. I slipped on my strappy black heels and made my way downstairs and out the front door to the car where Zack and the boys were waiting.

"Let's go." I buckled my seatbelt and we were on our way, Zack making comments about how it took so long for females to get ready to go out. I shrugged them off, instead occupying myself with checking the updates on my cell. It always seemed like I had a never ending stream of text messages that needed answering or voice mails that I had to reply to. Getting to the Tipton, Zack parked the car in the underground car park and we made our way up to the 23rd floor. The door of suite 2330 was open and we could hear Carey talking to someone. That someone turned out to be London who had come down to ask Carey's opinion on an outfit for her date that night.

"Hey London. How are you?" I greeted her.

"Maya! It's good to see you. Hi Cody." She looked over my shoulder at Zack as she hugged me.

"Really? You've known me for probably close to twenty years now and you still can't remember that I'm Zack?" He sighed and handed Jaeden to Carey. London let out a squeal.

"A baby! Aww, how cute. What's his name?"

"His name is Jaeden." Carey supplied.

"Now I wish I wasn't going on that date tonight. I could have stayed to help you look after all these kids." At that moment, Reed came running out of Zack and Cody's old bedroom followed by Kimberlee.

"Oh, are they here already?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah. They've been here all day. Apparently Cody had something planned for during the day for Bailey so the three kids got dropped off this morning."

"Ah. Well, we need to be going now so, have fun with these terrors. Remember you can call if you need. Have fun on your date, London." Zack hugged his mom and we went back down to the car.

"Can we go home again for a second, I need to grab something." I said, Zack sighed but made his way home. He didn't bother to put the car in the garage, simply leaving it out on the road and followed me inside. I went up to the bedroom and shut the door, sighing when I was alone.

(Zack P.O.V)

After Maya shut the door in my face, I stood there for a second, confused. What had I done to cause her to be mad at me? I knocked quietly on the door.

"Maya?"

"Go away Zack." Her voice was muffled by the door.

"Not until you tell me what I did to make you mad at me." She threw the door open and if looks could kill, I would definitely have died right then.

"Don't play dumb with me. You should know." She slammed the door shut agin and I sighed. Sometimes I didn't understand women. How on earth am I supposed to know what she's thinking?

"Come on Maya! Help me out a little here."

"You suck at being romantic. You have to wait for your brother to make plans for Valentine's Day before you do anything." She yelled through the door. I groaned. I knew doing the double date thing would come back to bite me eventually, I just didn't think it would be so soon.

"I'm sorry. I thought you liked doing stuff with them." She opened the door again.

"I do. But you heard Carey. Cody planned other things for Bailey. Why can you never do that for me?"

"I didn't know you wanted me to! I'm not a mind reader, Maya. You need to tell me things like this otherwise I can't help you. Geez, you can be so stupid sometimes" I regretted my words as soon as I spoke them. Watching her face crumble like that broke my heart.

"Is that really what you think of me?" Tears fell from her eyes and I reached out to her.

"No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." She pushed me away and shut the door, locking it behind her. I could hear her crying on the other side and I honestly felt like crying myself. How could I have let myself say that to her?

"Maya, please. I didn't mean to. I-" The door opened again and she stood there, changed out of her dress. She had on a pair of jeans and a jacket with her boots and was carrying a suitcase. She pushed past me, tears still flowing down her face. "Maya-"

"Don't." Was all she said before she disappeared down the stairs. I followed her down and found her in the kitchen, putting a box of leftovers into the suitcase.

"Please Maya." I could feel the tears in my own eyes.

"I love you Zack, and I know you love me, so just let me go." She whispered before she went into the garage, climbing into her car and disappearing down the road. I stood staring after her for ages, not sure what to do. It wasn't until I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket that I moved again.

"Hello?"

"Zack, where are you? We've been waiting for nearly an hour and the people here are getting mad that we're not ordering." Cody asked me, I could hear quiet chatter in the background.

"I'm at home."

"What? Why? Did you forget we're supposed to be meeting up?"

"No."

"Then what are you doing?"

"She left."

"Who left?"

"She left." He sighed and the chatter in the background quietened as he left the room.

"You said that. Tell me who you're talking about."

"Maya."

"What do you mean? Is she coming separately?"

"What's going on?" I heard Bailey ask, her voice slightly muted.

"He keeps saying Maya left but I have no idea what he's talking about." Cody explained.

"We had a fight." I said.

"Oh. She really left." He was silent for a while.

"I don't know what to do."

"Stay where you are. We'll come to you. Try calling her." Bailey was asking him questions but he hung up before I heard what he said. Taking Cody's advice I tried calling her.

"Hi, you've reached Maya Martin. I'm not available at the moment but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Bye." The cheery message did not sound the way she had before she'd left and it only made me cry more than I already was. I made my way inside and flopped down on the couch, just waiting. When the doorbell rang, I sniffed and wiped the tears from my eyes. Opening the door, I was immediately knocked backwards a little as Bailey threw herself at me.

"I never thought I'd be the one coming to your rescue after a girl left you." Cody said as he appeared behind his wife. Bailey finally let go of me and stood back with Cody. After a few more sniffs, I stood aside, almost on auto pilot. We went into the kitchen and Bailey steered me to sit at the kitchen counter. From there, she moved around the kitchen making something while Cody leant across the bench to look at me.

"Zack, tell me what happened."

"I- I don't even know. One second we were dropping off Reed and Jaeden and the next, she's throwing this massive fit and running away."

"Okay. Did she say why she was mad?" Bailey handed me a cup of herbal tea. "Drink. It'll calm you down."

"She was upset that I hadn't planned other things for today like you had for Bailey. Mom mentioned that your three kids had been at the Tipton all day."

"Right, so that's all that she's upset about?" Cody looked confused. I sighed.

"No. When she said that, I said something along the lines of her being stupid. I know it was a dumb thing to say, what with her just recovering from the whole depression thing but it kind of just slipped out. I apologized as soon as I'd said it but she didn't listen."

"Oh Zack." Bailey hugged me again as the tears started falling fresh. Cody shook his head and I knew he had no idea where to go from there.

"I never thought she'd leave me. I mean, we've had our arguments in the past, and this one wasn't even that bad." I said, hugging her back. "I just don't know what to do now."

(Maya P.O.V.)

I drove for hours, not paying attention to where I was going. I just drove, trying to get as far away from the house as possible. I couldn't believe Zack had said that. He'd been so supportive through the entire last year. I fought the tears not to fall, not wanting to crash my little car on the way. Eventually, I began to feel tired enough to need to stop and sleep so I pulled into a little motel on the outskirts of whatever city I was in.

Parking my car, I trudged into the reception and booked myself a room, not bothering to find out where I was. Once in the room, I fell down onto the bed and pressed buttons on the TV remote until it turned on to a news channel. I didn't recognize the newsreader, meaning I was nowhere near home. Realizing how far from home I was, I needed to cry even more and I suddenly just let them fall, crying myself into a fitful sleep in this strange city, so far from everything I knew and loved.

* * *

**Preview:** At the end of a week, Maya has not contacted Zack and he is getting worried. Cody and Bailey do all they can to help him but still have their own lives to deal with. We find out where exactly Maya has ended up.

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**A/N: Again, thank you all for the reviews. I know this chapter wasn't very long but there was still a lot in it. And Phoebe-lovers - don't worry, she'll make an appearance before too long.**

**Also, I'm coming up to a very busy term with school so I may not be updating as much as I have been. But I'll still be writing as much as possible and posting chapters when I can. By the end of this year, I will be done with school forever (YAY!) and I'll be free to post more often.**


	11. Richmond, Virginia

(Maya P.O.V)

For a week, I didn't leave my room, simply spending my days watching crappy TV and pigging out on junk food that I ordered through room service. I'm sure I looked a mess, not having changed out of the clothes I'd left in. Every night was spent crying myself to sleep and I was sure the tear stains would be permanent. I didn't care though. I still wasn't ready to go back to Boston. My phone had died a few days before but before it had, the screen showed close to fifty missed calls from Zack and nearly twice as many texts begging me to talk to him. But I didn't give in. I needed time to myself.

(Bailey P.O.V)

Nearly a week later, Zack turned up at our front door, definitely looking worse for wear. He hadn't bothered to brush his shaggy hair back and it hung loose over his eyes. His shirt was untucked and his shoelaces were undone. Reed clung to his leg and he held Jaeden tightly as if worried the boy would leave him. Tell-tale streaks down his face told me he'd been crying again. I smiled sadly at him, letting him in.

"She'll come back, Zack. She has to." I said as I took Jaeden from him.

"Uncle Zack!" Kimberlee came running from the kitchen where she'd been helping Cody with lunch.

"Hey Peanut." He said, using the nickname he'd given her but there was no cheer behind it.

"Kimmie, why don't you take Reed and show him your new slide set in the backyard." I said and she nodded, grabbing her cousin's hand and lead him out to the backyard. "Come on, Zack. Cody's in the kitchen. We went in and Cody came over to hug his brother.

"How are you doing, bro?"

"I don't know. I just wish she'd call me and let me know if she's okay."

"So do we. But she'll come through. She's only just revering from her depression so it may take some time."

"All we can do now is wait." I interjected, putting Reed in the swing by the door.

"We could call the police." Zack suggested. Cody and I shared a look before he answered.

"Give her another day. Then call in the police." Zack sighed but nodded.

"Okay." We spent the rest of the day sitting in the living room, the television playing some channel that showed music videos all day. Reed and Kimberlee came in after a while, laughing and shrieking. They sat on the floor in front of us and she pulled out her colouring book and they occupied themselves with colouring in page after page.

I sat, pulling on the charm of my love-heart music note necklace, wondering what on earth we could talk about to bring some sort of cheer into the house.

"Hey, do you guys want to play scrabble or monopoly?" I said after a while.

"Sure." A confirmative grunt was all I got from Zack so I pushed myself up and went down to the cupboard where we kept the games, searching through until I found the old monopoly board. Going back upstairs, I set it out on the kitchen table, intending to go back to the living room to fetch them when I noticed the time. It was nearly seven o'clock. No wonder I was so hungry.

"Hey, did you guys know we missed dinner?"

"No. What's the time?" Cody asked.

"Nearly seven. Do you want me to order something?"

"Wow. Um yeah. I think pizza. Zack?"

"Whatever. I'm not hungry."

"Bro, you've got to eat. Remember you've still got Jaeden and Reed to look after."

"Fine." He slumped back into the couch and continued to stare at that TV screen. I sighed and went back to the kitchen to order the pizza and get some food for Jaeden and the twins. It didn't take too long for me to get the three babies seated so that I could feed them and I was about to start when the doorbell rang. Sighing, I put down the baby food and went over to the front door, shaking my head at the guys sitting on the couch, staring at the TV.

"Pizza's here. Kimberlee, can you take Reed to wash his hands and sit at the table." She nodded and put her crayons back in their box. She and Reed disappeared up the stairs and I turned to the guys.

"We're coming." Cody said, getting up. Zack grunted and pushed himself up off the couch too. They went into the kitchen and sat at the table, helping themselves too the pizza. I grabbed a few pieces for me and put a piece each on Kimberlee and Reed's plates before turning back to the twins and Jaeden. I quickly fed them and then sat down myself, sighing. It had been a long day.

"Zack, do you want to stay here tonight? Reed can sleep in Kimmie's room and you can have the spare room with Jaeden." I offered once dinner was over and I was putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Kimberlee and Reed had gone up to her room to play with something or other.

"Nah, I'll take them home for the night. I want to be there if she comes home."

"Okay. Just remember, you can always stay here if you need." I finished my job and he started packing up Jaeden's things to leave. "I'll go get Reed." I said, heading up the stairs. I could hear the kids talking in Kimberlee's room and I smiled to myself. They were so innocent.

"Reed, it's time to go home." I said, pushing the door open to find them laying on the floor flipping through a picture book.

"Aww. But we were having fun mommy." Kimberlee complained.

"I know sweetie but Uncle Zack wants to go home and Reed has to go too." I went over and picked up the book, putting it back on the shelf beside her bed. Kimberlee pouted but got up anyway, brushing off her skirt. The two of them followed me down the stairs to where Zack and Cody were standing by the door.

"Thanks for having us today guys." Zack said, helping Reed put his jacket on.

"Anytime Zack. You know that. Just remember to keep us posted if you hear anything from Maya." Cody said.

"Bye Uncle Zack." Kimberlee chirped, hugging his leg. He smiled down at her.

"See you later Peanut." We followed Zack out to his car and waved as he pulled away before heading back inside to put the twins to sleep.

"Mommy can we watch a movie?" Kimberlee came bounding into the nursery as I was putting Lachlan into his crib. I looked up at the clock and saw that it was nearly nine o'clock.

"Sorry sweetie, its bedtime. You've had a lot of fun with Reed today so no movies tonight, okay?"

"Okay mommy." She sulked out and I heard her door shut. I sighed.

"I'll deal with her." Cody offered and I soon heard him talking to her. Later, he met me down in the living room and we sat on the couch.

"An eventful day." Cody muttered.

"Be nice. Would you have done any different in his place?"

"I guess not."

"Good." I yawned.

"Tired?"

"Yeah. No idea why though."

"You're emotionally tired. How about we go to bed?"

"Sure. I'll meet you up there in a bit." He smiled at me and made his way upstairs. I went into the kitchen and turned on the dishwasher, making sure there was nothing else left out. Then I went up to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed, too tired to even bother changing. Cody laughed as he came out from the bathroom, already clad in his pajama bottoms.

"I guess you don't need the bathroom light on." He joked.

"No. I do. I'll get there in a second." He pulled down the blankets, effectively making me get up and snuggled down.

"I'll be here when you're ready." He said with a smile. I poked him but went into the bathroom anyway to bursh my teeth and hair before snuggling up to Cody in bed.

"I hope you know that I'd never run away from you, Codykins." I said.

"I know. And I'd never run away either. Unless you start getting old and look like you're 100. Then I might have to leave you for a younger woman." He told me with a mock serious look.

"Cody!" I shoved him, almost making him fall out of the bed.

"I was kidding, Bails. I'll never leave you."

"I love you Cody."

"I love you too Bailey."

(Maya P.O.V) climbing in and crying myself to sleep. It was killing me that I was so far from home. So far from Zack, the only guy I'd ever loved. So far from my babies, the ones who gave my life meaning. But I wasn't ready to go back yet. To face my past. First, I had to spend some time here in Richmond, Virginia to truly accept my past and how it shaped me.

* * *

**Preview:** The Boston Police join the search for Maya but no leads are given. Maya spends her time locked away from the world, slowly learning to accept her past. Cody and Bailey do everything they can to help Zack at home.

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**A/N: So there was a little bit of Cailey fluff at the end, but overall this chapter was kind of boring, more of a filler than anything else. But I promise the next chapter will be more eventful. Plus, a character we haven't seen for a while will be making an appearance in the next chapter or so. **

**P.S. Loving the reviews :)**


	12. The Voices In My Head

(Zack P.O.V)

So I called the police the next day, still not having heard anything from Maya. They spent a good hour interviewing me about what had happened and if I knew any place she might have gone. Then they moved on to Cody and Bailey to ask them the same thing. Within a few hours, they were beginning their search. I dropped Reed and Jaeden off at the Tipton and went back to work as I'd been told to do. Basically, the police told me I had to go on with my life as normal so that once Maya came back, it would be an easy transition into normal life for her.

"Zack, we need the reports on last week's game ASAP." My secretary Josiah said, poking his head in the door.

"Sure thing. I'm just finishing them off and I'll print them to your printer in a moment." I told him, not looking up from my computer screen.

"Great. I think that's all that's on the agenda for the day so feel free to head home when you're done. I'll finish putting everything away." He said, referring to the boardroom where we'd had a fairly intense meeting a while ago. There was still papers and coffee mugs littered around the room. I hadn't been in the mood to do a clean-up then, opting to finish off the game reports from the previous week's game instead.

"Thant's okay, I'll go clean it up." I said, finally pressing print on the file. Those damn reports took so long. "I've just sent those files to the printer for you." He nodded and disappeared. Sighing, I began to pack up my desk, pausing for a second to look at the photo frame on my desk. It was one Maya had given me a while ago with a picture of the two of us and Reed. In the edge of the frame, I'd wedged a small image of Maya holding Jaeden in the hospital. Smiling slightly, I held on to the hope that the police would soon find her and bring her back to me. Once I'd packed up my belongings, I headed out to the board room and set to work straightening it out. It didn't actually take that long and before I knew it, I was on the road towards the Tipton to pick up Reed and Jaeden.

"How was your day?" Mom asked after I'd hugged her hello.

"Alright. Nothing really special." I said shrugging.

"Daddy!" Reed appeared out of nowhere, launching himself at me. I barely had time to react to catch him.

"I suddenly have a new appreciation for you raising Cody and I." I said to mom who just grinned. "Hey little buddy. Have you been a good boy for Grammy?"

"Yeah! We made cookies!" He said, wriggling out of my grip and rushing over to the plate of cookies on the bench. To be honest, they didn't look all that enticing, each one was a different color and they didn't look completely cooked. I raised an eyebrow at my mother as I took one, holding it with two hands for fear of it falling to the ground and staining the carpet.

"These look great Reed." I said, taking a bite. It actually didn't taste all that bad but I wondered just how much sugar was in them and how hyped Reed would be that evening.

"We got to put colours in them daddy. See? They're rainbow." Reed told me excitedly.

"Mom, how much sugar is in these?" I asked, kind of ignoring my son's comment. She just laughed and I groaned. "Great."

"What's wrong daddy?" Reed asked.

"Nothing, buddy. Why don't you go pack your bag and get ready to go home? We'll be going in a bit, okay?" He nodded and ran off, dumping the plate on the kitchen bench.

"Hey, I'm the grandmother. I fill them up with sugar and hand them back to you and you can deal with the consequences." Mom said, still laughing.

"Okay that respect from before has gone down."

"I had to deal with you and your brother for so many years, I think a little bit of payback is in order, don't you?" She said. I have to admit, it did seem fair after everything Cody and I did when we were younger.

"Whatever. Where's Jaeden?"

"He's in the bedroom, sleeping."

"Of course. I made my way over to the bedroom and picked up my second son, being careful not to wake him. Back in the main room, mom was helping Reed put his backpack on and putting Jaeden's diaper bag by the door.

"Okay, are you ready to go, little man?" I asked Reed.

"Yes daddy. Bye Grammy. I had fun today."

"Anytime, pumpkin. Maybe next time we can make chocolate cake." She told him with a wink. I rolled my eyes and made a mental note to make sure Reed didn't have much sugar before he came over next time. Shifting Jaeden to one side, I slug the diaper bag over my shoulder and took hold of Reed's hand.

"Bye mom. Thanks for having the boys." I said, leading Reed out the door.

"You're welcome. And you know they're welcome to stay here anytime if you need some time alone." She reminded me.

"Of course." Reed waved to her and we made our way down the hall to the elevator. The whole way home, Reed chattered about his day and I listened, partly. On the way, I decided that I couldn't be bothered making dinner that night so we stopped at McDonalds and grabbed some take away. After that, Reed was quiet, eating his chicken nuggets in the backseat.

(Maya P.O.V)

The days joined into a blur and I literally spent hours staring at the walls of my motel room. I'd had dozens of flashbacks and I was still no closer to being ready to go back. It felt like I was dying inside over not being with my family and friends, leading a normal life. Images of Phoebe on that day were permanently dancing in front of my eyes and every time that moment that I'd found her played over in my head, I felt the same familiar stab of pain in my chest and I couldn't breathe. I'm pretty sure the people in the rooms beside me couldn't get much sleep with the amount of times I would wake up screaming, remembering Phoebe and the day she'd died. I hated that I couldn't keep myself in control enough to be around the ones I loved and I knew that I was hurting them by doing this but I also knew that being around them would hurt them even more.

(Zack P.O.V)

Arriving home, I parked the car and turned around to look at Reed.

"Okay little man. It's bedtime. When we get inside, I want you to go upstairs and put your jammies on and I'll come and help you brush your teeth in a little bit."

"Yes Daddy." He smiled at me and climbed out of the car, rushing to into the house. I pulled Jaeden out and took him up to the nursery, quickly getting him into his pajamas and putting him to sleep in his bed. Once that was done, I went into the bathroom across the hall to find Reed standing on his little stool, trying to see in the mirror to brush his teeth. It wasn't working very well so I went over and took the brush from him, finishing the job myself. We finished in the bathroom and I tucked him into his bed, and read him a quick Dr Deus story.

"Goodnight, Reed." I said from the door as I switched off the light.

"Daddy?"

"Yes buddy?"

"When's mommy coming home?" He sounded so innocent. I felt like crying again as I answered his question.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me. But I do know that she will come home because she loves you and me and your brother very much."

"And Grammy? Does she love Grammy too?"

"Yes. She loves your Grammy. And she'll come home. I know she will."

"Okay. Goodnight daddy." I smiled at him and shut the door. Going down the stairs, I went into the study to pack away the things from my briefcase that I wouldn't need the next day. I finished quickly and went up to bed, to emotionally drained to do anything else. It felt wrong getting into bed without Maya beside me but I held on to the hope that it wouldn't be long before she was back by my side.

**Preview:** Still no news is delivered on Maya a week after the police are called in and Zack is beginning to become depressed himself. Cody and Bailey do everything they can to help him. Meanwhile, Maya is still struggling in Virginia and takes a big step backwards before making a decision.

**A/N: Another short chapter but a few significant moments as well as a cute fluffy moment between Zack and Reed at the end. Again, thanks for all the reviews, you guys make it worth writing.**


	13. Admitting

(Cody P.O.V)

It's been a week since Zack reported Maya missing with the police and we still haven't heard anything. I know he's been trying to keep his life fairly stable for his sons but when he called to give us an update last night, I could hear that he wasn't dealing with it as well as we'd thought. There was a slight tremble in his voice and his sentences were short and straight to the point when he usually spoke in long twisting sentences that you had to repeat in your head before understanding what he said.

After not finding any traces of Maya in Massachusetts, they police told us yesterday that they were expanding the search to other states nearby. Bailey and I had spent the last week not talking about anything other than Maya and trying to think of where she could have gone, without much luck, I might add. Tonight, Zack was coming to spend the evening with us and Kimberlee was currently up in her room, excitedly laying out her toys to show her cousin. I envied her obliviousness in the whole situation.

"Codykins, you're going to burn the sauce in a minute." Bailey's voice snapped me back to reality and I quickly took the spaghetti sauce I was making off the heat.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

"I could tell. Just don't burn down the house, okay?" She said, pulling a stack of plates out of the cupboard.

"I won't at least not while you and the kids are inside."

"Very funny." She laughed at me and disappeared into the dining room to set the table.

"MOMMY!" Kimberlee's cry echoed through the house and I turned to find Bailey rushing up the stairs to find out what had happened. I was going to follow her when I heard Bailey's laugh. Moments later, Bailey returned to the kitchen, still laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"She got her teddy stuck behind the bed."

"And that required her to shriek like she was hurt?"

"Apparently." We both laughed for a bit until we were interrupted by the doorbell.

"I'll get it." Bailey said, heading towards the door but she was beaten by Kimberlee who had run down the stairs quick as a flash.

"Hi Uncle Zack. Hi Reed." She said excitedly, pulling the door open.

"Hey Peanut. Where's your mom and dad?" I heard Zack ask.

"I'm here. Kimmie, what's the rule about running down the stairs?" Bailey chastised her.

"Sorry mommy." I could hear the pout in her voice and Zack laughed.

"Alright. Reed, why don't you go say hi to your uncle and then you and Kimmie can go and play until dinner?"

"Okay, Aunty Bailey." I heard running feet and suddenly Reed and Kimberlee appeared.

"Hi Uncle Cody!"

"Hey Reedo. How's it going?"

"Mommy's not home yet."

"I know buddy. But she will come back."

"That's what daddy says."

"That's because your daddy loves your mommy very much." I smiled at the young boy and he grinned before Kimberlee dragged him out of the kitchen up the stairs. Just as they left, Zack appeared, carrying Jaeden.

"Hey little bro. Smells good in here." He put Jaeden down in his carrier.

"Nice to see you to." I said, hugging him. Bailey appeared and went back to work setting the table.

"Want some help Bails?" Zack asked.

"Um, you can grab a bottle of wine from the cellar. Just pick on, I don't really care which."

"Cool. Watch Jaeden for me bro?"

"Of course." Zack went down to the cellar and I could faintly hear him checking the wine bottles.

"Notice anything different?" Bailey asked, reappearing in the kitchen after she'd put out the knives and forks.

"Huh?" I looked at her funny.

"Your brother. Did you notice that he seems happier?"

"Yeah I did. It's great, isn't it?"

"What's great?" Zack asked, appearing from the cellar.

"The food. This recipe doesn't usually turn out like this." I quickly lied to cover up what we had been talking about.

"Huh." He shrugged it off and handed the wine bottle to Bailey.

"Dinner's just about to be served, can you get the kids down from upstairs, Bails?" I asked.

"Sure." Not long after, we were sitting around the table laughing as Kimberlee relayed the story of when she and Bailey had gone to the park the other day and found a duck on the car after their walk.

(Maya P.O.V)

After a particularly hard day of fitful bursts of sleep, I finally decided to leave my motel room. Not to go home but I needed to do something to stop the horrible images flashing through my head. So, I ran a brush through my unruly hair and threw on my one set of clothes that I had. When I'd left, all I'd taken was my toiletries, a pair of pajamas and some food. Jumping into my car, I pulled out of the motel parking lot and turned onto the road heading further into Richmond. It seemed like ages until I found what I was looking for but eventually, I pulled into a park and climbed out, making my way over to the small club I'd spotted. The music was already thumping so loud that the images in my head were starting to distort but I knew I'd need more than just loud music to get rid of them completely. Heading over to the bar, I ordered a shot of Vodka.

After about an hour, it was hard to tell the difference between each person on the dance floor but there were still flashes of those images in my head. I thumped my hand down on the bar, demanding another shot. The bartender eyed me wearily but I just glared and he slid the glass across to me.

(Bailey P.O.V)

It was so nice to see Zack happy again, even if it was only a charade. He laughed and joked with Kimberlee and Reed as we ate and joined in the conversation with Cody and I. After we ate, we set up a movie for the kids down in the theatre and we sat in the living room, just talking.

"So, anything interesting happen in the last few days?" Cody asked his brother.

"Mom filled Reed up with about a ton of sugar when she looked after the boys the other day. She made cookies with Reed and each one as a different color and there was a hell of a lot of sugar in that recipe. It was way too sweet for my taste."

"Yeah, she's done that to us with Kimmie a few times. She took her to the beach the other day and I swear there was more sand than anything else when she came home." I said with a laugh.

"Mental note: don't let mom take the boys to the beach." Zack said.

"I wish we'd known before we agreed to the beach trip. We're still washing sand down the drain." Cody groaned.

"Well make sure she doesn't have too much sugar before she visits mom next. If she made colorful cookies with Reed, who knows what she'll do with Kimmie."

"Duly noted." Cody laughed.

"What's the latest on Maya?" I asked.

"Well, they were looking through New Jersey and Pennsylvania a few days ago and apparently they're going all the way down to Virginia."

"That far?"

"Clearly. When they said they were looking through the nearby states, I though they mean, like, Connecticut or New York type thing but then they started going further south. But if they bring her home, I'm not going to complain."

"Hold on to hope, Zack. She'll come home. She loves you and the boys too much to stay away." I said.

"I'm starting to not believe that. I don't get it. It was such a stupid argument."

"Yes but in her head, it was so much bigger. And she's still dealing with the stuff about her sister. That's got to be hard on anyone." Cody reasoned.

"I know. I just wish she'd let me in rather than shut me out. I keep thinking, maybe if I'd been more supportive she might not have left. Maybe if I'd done something different."

"Zack, with everything going on in her head, it would have only been a matter of time before she did this. And it's better that she's done it now, at the beginning of everything than further down the track and she could have done something really stupid." I told him.

"I guess. I just wish it never had to happen. When I first met her, she was a normal girl. When I married her, she was a normal woman. But one stupid, thoughtless sentence on Valentine's Day ruined the woman I love."

"She's not ruined. She's just broken. Obviously she kept those feelings shut away tightly for so long. And who wouldn't have shut those emotions away? Her parents blamed her for what happened. Who does that to their child?" Cody said.

"Apparently her parents."

"Daddy, the movie finished." Kimberlee came up the stairs then, followed closely by Reed.

"Well, I think Uncle Zack wants to take your cousins home now. So how about you two go pack up any toys you had out while we finish here?" Cody said to her she nodded and grabbed her cousin's hand, dragging him up to her room.

"Kicking me out, huh?" Zack said with a laugh, pushing himself up off the couch.

"No. I just think you need to get the boys home to bed."

"Yeah, I probably do. Reed's got daycare in the morning anyway." We went into the kitchen where Jaeden was still sleeping in his little carrier.

"They're all so innocent. None of them have any idea what's going on." I mussed, looking down at my nephew.

"It's for the best though. They couldn't handle knowing everything." Zack said, taking Jaeden from me. Picking up the diaper bag, Zack went to the front door to put on his shoes and wait for Reed. It wasn't long before to pairs of running feet came down the stairs.

"Kimberlee Nicole, I've already told you off once tonight about running down the stairs." I said sternly. She pouted and looked at her feet.

"Sorry mommy."

"And Reed, you've been here enough that you know the rules too, young man." Zack scolded his son.

"Sorry daddy." Both children looked so cute with their little pout that it was hard to remain stern with them but letting it slip wouldn't be good parenting.

"Alright, we'll see you again soon. And don't forget to keep us updated, even with the littlest things." I told my brother in law.

"Of course. Thanks for the food little bro." I heard Cody grimace behind me.

"You've gotta stop that, man." He complained.

"Can't help it. Anyway, see you later Peanut. You be good for your mom and dad and help look after your brother and sister."

"Yes Uncle Zack. Bye Reed." Kimberlee waved from where she was currently clinging to my leg. I have no idea why she was doing it but I wasn't going to stop her.

"See ya Reedo. Behave for your daddy. He needs your help a lot right now, okay? You make sure he's looking after you." Cody bent down to hug the small boy.

"Bye Uncle Cody." We stood in the doorway and watched as they got into their car and drove away, closing the door behind them.

(Maya P.O.V)

By the time I left the club, my head was pounding and I could hardly see straight. The only thing my alcohol clouded brain could think was that I shouldn't drive so I headed in the opposite direction to my car, towards the motel. I didn't get very far before I ended up stumbling against a post and had to hang on for a moment until the world stopped spinning.

"Are you okay miss?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm just going home." I slurred, pushing away from the post and walking further. The random guy just shrugged and walked off, leaving me to slowly make my way back to the motel. Inwardly I cursed myself for choosing a club so far away.

(Flashback)

"How could you let her out of your sight Maya? She's fifteen!" Louise Bennett shouted at her daughter.

"It wasn't intentional, mom. And I remember being allowed to walk around the city with her when I was fifteen."

"That's different, young lady. You had her with you." Her father, Jonathon, said.

"I was still fifteen. And why are you guys blaming me for this? Aren't you supposed to be comforting me because I'm your daughter?" Maya asked, tears starting to fall as she looked into her parents' unforgiving eyes.

"You're no daughter of mine." Her mother hissed, rushing out of the room and Maya heard a door slam somewhere in the apartment.

"You're leaving this house. It's your fault Phoebe's gone and having you around will only be a reminder that we no longer have our little girl."

"You're kicking me out?"

"No, I'm sending you to the S.S Tipton. It's a school aboard a boat. I've heard it has a great education and it'll keep you out of the country."

"What?"

"You leave in two days." With that her father left the room and Maya finally let her knees give way below her and she fell to the ground, sobbing. She knew it was her fault that Phoebe had been murdered. When she'd gone to look for her sister, she'd heard sounds coming from the alleyway where the police had found her. But in her haste to find Phoebe, she'd ignored it, thinking that the sounds weren't relevant. Further down the road, she'd had the urge to go back and check but she chose to ignore the feeling, instead looking along the safe roads.

(Maya P.O.V)

I eventually found myself in a park somewhere and sat down on a park bench, not feeling like I could walk much further. It was a bad idea though. As soon as I wasn't concentrating on staying upright, the images of Phoebe began to flash through my mind again. I listened to the sounds I'd heard as I went past that horrible alleyway. Thinking back, I could distinctly tell that it was my sister crying. I smacked my hand against my head, not wanting to admit what I already knew.

"No, no, no." I sobbed, the images and sounds in my head so vivid it was like I was back there. I heard Phoebe yell out. But I ignored it, determined to believe that it wasn't real. I pushed myself forward, running away from the alley. Something inside tried to pull me back but I couldn't do it. I couldn't go back and save her.

"I killed my sister." I whispered to myself, still whacking my head. After a moment, I stopped. The feeling gone as if someone had pulled it out of me. I lay down on the seat and curled up into a ball, still crying and I slowly fell asleep, but not before I finally let myself admit the truth, "I could have saved her."

* * *

**Preview:** Maya is admitted to the hospital after a Good Samaritan finds her in the park. She is identified and a message is sent to Zack, who must decide what to do now.

* * *

**A/N: A very tough chapter to write but I hope you like it. **


	14. Good Samaritan

(Maya P.O.V)

Bird chirping woke me and I squinted in the sudden glare. Sitting up, I groaned and put my hand to my head, trying to stop the throbbing pain. I got up off the park bench and began the walk back to my car, needing a good shower. As I walked, the memory of last night came crashing back and I remembered the last thing I'd said to myself.

"I could have saved her." I whispered and that was all it took. Fresh tears began to fall and my knees gave way and I fell to the ground, sobbing.

"Miss, are you okay?" Again a random stranger came up to me. I shook my head.

"I…I…" I looked up at the person, an old lady, and she gasped.

"Oh my god. You need a hospital."

"No, I…"

"Honey, you need help." The lady helped me up and led me over to her car. I was too distraught to think about the danger of getting in and I allowed her to make sure I was comfortable before climbing into the drivers' seat and we drove off. At the hospital, she led me inside and began to talk to one of the nurses. Before long, I was being whisked away to ho knows where. At one point I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I looked horrible, tear stains covered my cheeks and blackening bruises dotted my face. I had huge bags under my eyes as well. Seeing myself like that only led to more tears and it took a while for the doctors to calm me down. When I finally did, they led me to a small interview room.

"Okay, can you tell me your name?" A kind old doctor asked me.

"Maya Bennett."

"Good. And where's home?" the way he was speaking made me feel kind of like a child but I answered anyway.

"Just outside Boston."

"Any family?"

"My husband, Zack Martin. And my two little boys, Jaeden and Reed."

"Do they know you're here?"

"No. Well, they know I'm gone but they don't know where I am."

"What about your parents?"

"I haven't seen them in years."

"Okay, thank-you Mrs. Martin. I just have one more question for you: how long have you been in Richmond?"

"I don't know. Two weeks maybe." I said. He nodded.

"Okay. I'm going to get one of the nurses to help clean you up and then we'll get you a bed to stay for a little while. Those bruises look pretty bad."

"Thank you." The doctor got up and left and I sat in the small room for a while until a young nurse came in.

"Hi Mrs. Martin. I'm Nurse Vicki. Let's go get you cleaned up so we can have a better look at those bruises." I allowed myself to be led away.

(Zack P.O.V)

I was about to leave the house the morning after having dinner at Cody and Bailey's the night before when the phone rang.

"Reed, can you get the phone for me?" I yelled from the nursery. I heard him pick up the receiver and talk to whoever was on the other line.

"Daddy, it's for you!" He called and I rolled my eyes. Of course it was. He appeared in the doorway and handed me the phone which I rested between my ear and shoulder.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Martin?"

"Yes."

"This is Sargent Person from the Boston PD. We have news on your wife."

"Oh my god. Is she okay? Where is she?"

"She's fine. It would be best if you came down to the station to continue the conversation."

"Sure. I've just got to drop my sons off and I'll be there in about an hour."

"We'll be waiting." I hung up the phone, throwing it to the side as I hurried to finish getting Jaeden ready.

"Reed! Get yourself into the garage please!" I yelled. I heard him run through the house towards the garage. Smiling to myself, I grabbed Jaeden's things and my own, rushing down the stairs. In the garage, Reed was waiting patiently by the car and I opened the door for him to get in. Within two minutes, we were in the car and on the road. I used the hands-free phone connection to call mom on the way.

"This is Carey Martin."

"Mom, it's me. I'm on my way to drop Reed off at daycare and I need you to look after Jaeden for a while. The police want me down at the station."

"Have they found Maya?"

"I think so. I'm not sure."

"Do you want me to meet you at the station and I'll take Jaeden from there?" I hadn't thought of that. The station wasn't all that far from the Tipton so it was a good idea.

"Yeah, okay. I'll be there in about 20 minutes."

"Alright. I'll see you soon."

"Bye mom." I hung up and turned my attention to Reed.

"You might be getting picked up by Grammy today, okay."

"Okay daddy. Is mommy coming home?"

"I don't know buddy. Maybe."

"Yay!"

"Don't get too excited, okay? I don't know what mommy's doing."

"Yes daddy." I smiled as we pulled into the daycare car park.

"Alright, let's go." Seeing as it wasn't too hot, I left Jaeden in the car as I walked Reed into the centre.

"Good morning Reed. How are you today?" The receptionist asked as we came in.

"I'm good. My mommy's coming home." He told her excitedly. The receptionist raised an eyebrow at me.

"Maybe. We've got some news on her, so I'm heading to the police station now to see what's happening."

"Ah. Well, we'd best get you signed in so your daddy can go." She said to Reed as she handed the sign in book to me and I quickly filled in the details.

"Alright, you be a good boy today and we'll get an ice-cream on the way home, okay?"

"Okay. Bye daddy!" He nodded and ran off to join his friends. As soon as he was completely distracted, I waved goodbye to the receptionist and left, jumping in the car.

"Next stop; the station." I said to Jaeden who just looked at me like I was crazy. I probably was. Once again, I used the hands-free phone, this time to call Cody with an update.

"Dr. Cody Martin speaking, how may I help you?"

"Er, I've got a broken heart, can you fix it for me?" I said

"Hi Zack. What's up?" I could practically see him shaking his head at my joke.

"I'm heading in to the station. I got a call this morning saying that they've got news on Maya. Mom's looking after Jaeden for me."

"Oh my god, that's great. Let us know if you need us to do anything for you."

"Well, I'll find out what I can at the station and call you after."

"Call Bailey. I've got surgery in ten. I'll give her a quick call in a bit to let her know."

"Okay. Thanks bro."

"You're welcome. Good luck."

"You too, with your surgery I mean." I hung up and dialed for the office. After a few rings Josiah answered.

"Josiah, I'm not coming in this morning. I've got news about Maya so I'm heading to the station to find out everything."

"Okay. I'll cancel the meeting and send out an apology. Do you want me to give a reason?"

"Yeah, just say it's a family emergency. Don't give any details."

"Alright will do. Good luck sir."

"Thank you Josiah." I had high hopes for the young secretary. He was going to go places in the office, I would make sure of it. By this time, we had pulled into the car park at the police station and I shut off the engine. Taking a deep breath, I got out and waited for mom to turn up. It wasn't long before she appeared around the corner and she hurried over to us.

"Sorry. Esteban needed help in the lobby."

"That's okay. I've only just got here."

"Oh. Good. Now, where's my grandson?" I rolled my eyes at her but stood aside to let her get Jaeden out of the car.

"Alright. Here's his bag. I'll call you when I finish here."

"Okay. We'll have fun while we can." She tickled Jaeden who giggled.

"Please don't stock him up on sugar." I begged but she just gave me a look that clearly said 'oh really?' and walked off. Had it been any other morning, I would have followed her and begged but I really needed to get inside.

"Hi, I'm looking for Sargent Pearson. I'm Zack Martin." I said to the guy at the front desk. He spoke on the intercom for a bit and I heard a door behind me unlock.

"Mr. Martin. Good to see you. Sargent Pearson." The officer who'd come through the door held out his hand and I shook it.

"Hi, good to see you too." I smiled expectantly.

"Alright, let's get this moving, I have no doubt you want to see your wife as soon as possible."

"You have no idea." I said with a laugh as he led me to an interview room.

"Your wife was found in Richmond, Virginia."

"What?"

"She was turned admitted to the Richmond Hospital early this morning."

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"Apparently she went out and got drunk last night. An old lady found her in a park this morning, sobbing on the ground. When she tried to talk to your wife, she noticed bruising covering her face and convinced her to go to the hospital."

"Bruises? What from."

"They look like physical abuse bruises but they're too fresh to be from domestic violence."

"Wait, you thought I'd been abusing her?"

"Well, in a case like this where the wife runs away and is discovered with bruises, domestic violence is the first thing that comes to mind but closer inspection had indicated that the bruises are fresh. Possibly from last night even."

"I just want to say one thing, you know to set the record straight. The only abuse I would do or ever have done to Maya is not knowing enough about her past to help her."

"I know son. But you have to understand the way it looks from the outside."

"I do. I can't believe it though. Hang on, you said the bruises could be from last night, what does that mean?"

"Well, it could mean that she was in a fight of some kind but they bruises are too symmetrical for a random fight."

"So where did they come from?"

"That, Mr. Martin, is where you come in. We were hoping that you could possibly talk to her and find out what happened. Apparently a psychologist has been talking to her all morning but she's hardly said anything."

"Of course I'll talk to her. But it has to be face-to-face. I want to see her, not talk on the phone."

"We wouldn't think anything else. You'll be flown in to Richmond in an hour. So you can make any plans you need to. For your sons or anything. The police helicopter will be waiting when you're ready."

"Thank-you Sargent." I shook his hand and went out to my car, deciding to grab a coffee before talking to mom. Sitting in the café I pulled out my phone and dialed Bailey.

"Bailey Martin speaking."

"Hey Bailey."

"Oh, hi Zack. How'd it go at the station?"

"They've found her in Richmond, Virginia. She apparently got drunk last night and was found in a park with bruises covering her face."

"Oh my god. Is she okay?"

"She's in the hospital at the moment but she won't tell them anything so they're flying me down in an hour to see if she'll talk to me. You'll never guess what they thought the bruises were from though."

"What?"

"Domestic abuse."

"Seriously? As if."

"I know. And I assured them that I've never laid a hand on her."

"Well—"

"You know what I mean. Anyway, they looked closer and found that the bruises are fresh, like last night fresh so they're thinking maybe she got into some sort of brawl."

"Wow. And to think this all started from a stupid slip of the tongue."

"I know. Look, I just called to ask you a favor."

"Ask away."

"Can you look after the boys tonight for me?"

"Sure. Do you want one of us to come with you though?"

"No. this is something I've got to do myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then. Is Reed at daycare?"

"Yeah. And Jaeden's at moms. I'm going to head over there in a bit and get her to drop him at your place."

"Don't get her to do that. I'll get Cody to pick him up after work. He's coming home after this surgery anyway."

"Okay, fine. Are you sure you can do this, I mean, you'll have three new-borns in the house."

"Zack, I've already got two, I don't think adding Jaeden will do any harm. And Kimberlee can have the sleepover with Reed she's been begging for." I laughed.

"Alright then. Thank you so much. I'll see you when I get back."

"Any time Zack. Good luck with Maya." We hung up and I quickly threw back the rest of my coffee before driving back to the Tipton. I headed up to the 23rd floor and knocked on the door to Mom's suite.

"Hey Zack. How'd it go?"

"Great. They've found her in Virginia but she's in the hospital and she's not talking to them so they're flying me down in about half an hour to see if she'll talk to me."

"What's happening with the boys?"

"Bailey's going to p

* * *

ick up Reed from daycare this afternoon and Cody's going to pick up Jaeden on his way home from work. They're going to look after the boys for me."

"Aww, I could have done it for you. I did raise you and your brother."

"I know but I thought you probably didn't want a baby and a toddler running around while you're trying to perform tonight. You've had enough performances ruined by Cody and I."

"Whatever you say."

"Alright, I should probably get going. I've got to run home and grab some clothes for Maya. I know she didn't take any with her when she left."

"Okay. Good luck." She hugged me and I waved to Jaeden before rushing back down to the car and driving home. I stood in our wardrobe staring blankly at Maya's clothes, wondering what to take for her. In the end, I grabbed a pair of black jeans, a woolen sweater and a pair of boots, chucking them into a back-pack and running back out the door, making sure it was locked behind me. I rushed back to the police station where Sargent Pearson was waiting.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"I think so. Let's do this." I smiled and he led me up to the roof where a helicopter was already whirring away. We climbed up into the cabin and I slipped on the headset that was handed to me. Slowly the helicopter lifted off the ground and we were on our way to Richmond.

* * *

**Preview:** Zack sees Maya again and she tells him something that shocks him.

* * *

**A/N: Another hard chapter to write but also a fun one to challenge my own writing skills. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one: the reunion of Zack and Maya, finally. You have no idea what it's been like to not just make Maya call him… anyway, enjoy guys.**


	15. Break-Down

(Zack P.O.V)

I was silent pretty much the whole flight to Richmond and as the helicopter started going down over the hospital, I felt my heart start to thump in my chest. I knew it was stupid to be nervous about seeing my wife but I didn't know what to expect.

"Alright, we have information that says she's got her car here in Richmond so you can drive that back home. If you need any more help from us, feel free to give me a call. Good luck." Sargent Pearson told me, handing me his card.

"Thank you. For everything." I said with a grateful smile as I walked off towards the door to the stairwell. I heard the helicopter fly off and I was left alone. My heart was still thumping and I had to wipe my hand on my jeans before I attempted the door handle. Once inside, I looked around, unsure where to go. I began to wander around, not really looking for anything, just wandering.

"Excuse me sir? Can I help you?" A voice made me turn and I found a pretty young nurse behind me.

"Er, I'm looking for my wife. She was admitted this morning."

"Are you Zack Martin?"

"Yes."

"Oh, so you're looking for Maya. Well, I'm her nurse, Vicki. I'll take you to her."

"Thank you." I followed her silently to a closed door.

"She's in here. I'll give you some time alone. If you need anything, just press the button on the wall beside her bed."

"Okay." I smiled at her and she walked off. For what seemed like ages, I simply stood there, staring at the door. Eventually, I told myself I was being stupid and turned the door handle, breathing in deeply.

"Maya?" I asked tentatively as I pushed the door open, not sure what to expect. I heard a gasp and the rustle of sheets as the door fully opened and I saw her lying on the bed, facing away from me. Even from the back, I could tell she looked bad. I could just see the edges of some bruising and her form seemed thinner. Pushing my nervousness away completely, I crossed the room to her bedside and took her hand in mine. I couldn't say how good it felt to feel her skin against my own again, even if it as slightly thinner than the last time I'd seen it.

"Maya, look at me." I begged, tears falling from my eyes.

"No." Her answer was simple and clear but I wanted more.

"Why not?"

(Maya P.O.V)

I knew that when I told the doctors my name this morning that they would somehow contact Zack but I didn't think he'd be here within hours of that. I should have been excited to see him but I couldn't even bring myself to look at him, the guilt over the pain I must have caused him over the last two weeks building up inside me. I could hear him crying behind me and his hand felt so good in mine but I still couldn't do it.

"I can't." I told him, letting my own tears spill over.

"Yes you can. Maya I love you. No matter what happens I always will." He said, squeezing my hand.

"No. You'll hate me."

"For what?"

"For what I did."

"For running away? Maya I don't care. Well I do, but all that matters is that we're together again."

"Not for running away."

"Then what? Maya I don't understand. Please, help me understand."

(Zack P.O.V)

She rolled over quicker than I could have thought possible and it took all my self control not to react to the bruises on her face.

"I killed her." My eyes widened as she spoke.

"You what? Killed who?"

"My sister."

"Your sister? But I thought you said she was murdered."

"She was but I still killed her."

"So you murdered your sister?" I was really confused now. Maya burst into tears and instinctively, I sat down on the bed, pulling her closer. She kept on sobbing for ages as I just sat there, holding her tightly. Finally, she stopped crying and pulled back and looked at me.

"No. but when I was walking past the alleyway where she was found I heard her calling out for help. I chose to ignore it, not wanting it to be true."

"Maya, that's not killing her."

"I could have saved her!"

"Not that I've had any experience like that but I'm pretty sure anyone would have done what you did in that situation. I mean, you were fifteen. What else were you going to do?"

"I could have called for help. Or maybe me being there as well would have stopped those bastards."

"I don't think anything would have changed, honey."

"Why aren't you running away, repulsed? I'm responsible for my little sister's death." She pulled away as if she thought that her being so close was what was stopping me from running away. Sighing, I cupped her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me.

"Maya, you didn't kill her. I don't care what happened that day. The Maya I know and love would never hurt a fly. I know the past year has been hard but I still love you, no matter what happened in your past."

"But—"

"But nothing. I'm not going anywhere. I love you and your past has no significance to me. All I need is my wife and two little boys."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I love you Zack."

"I love you too Maya." We shared a kiss and for a moment it was as if none of this had ever happened.

"I'm so sorry. For everything. I can only imagine what you and the boys went through these past two weeks."

"It was hard but we held on to the hope that you'd come home to us."

"I always planned on it." She smiled and the tiny crack in my heart I'd had since she left finally fixed itself.

"Are you going to tell me what happened though?" I asked, gently brushing a hand over the side of her face. She blushed and looked down.

"I went out and got drunk last night. I don't even know why. I was just thinking over everything and I needed to get it out of my head. Afterwards, I was walking back to my motel when I had the sudden flashes of the past in my head and I finally admitted to myself that I could have saved her. The whole time, I was whacking myself in the head, trying to get the images and sounds out." I laughed a little.

"Oh Maya. You know how crazy that sounds, right?" She grinned and nodded.

"I know. But it didn't seem so crazy at the time." After that we just sat together, enjoying being close to each other but eventually we were interrupted by Nurse Vicki coming in.

"Hi. Maya we need to stitch up the cut on your head before you go home so the doctor is getting ready now." I hadn't even noticed the trail of blood leading from just above her eyebrow down the left sid of her face.

"Okay. I'm coming." Together we followed Nurse Vicki to the room where the doctor had set up a tray of instruments. They tried to get me to go outside but I refused to let go of Maya's hand, let alone leave the room so they told me to stand to the side and try not to get in the way. It didn't take long and soon they were simply wiping up the trail of blood.

"Alright, Maya you're good to go home. Here's a prescription for anti-depressants that I want you to take." Nurse Vicki said afterwards.

"Thanks." Maya smiled and handed the piece of paper to me. I tucked it away in my wallet and handed her the backpack with her clothes in.

"Here. Something to change into."

"You're the best." She kissed me and ducked into the nearest bathroom.

"You're lucky Mr. Martin. Sometimes they don't come home." Nurse Vicki told me.

"I know. I guess luck is on my side." I grinned and she laughed, walking away to whatever her next job was so I sat on a chair and waited for Maya to come back. It wasn't long before she ran back down the hall, throwing herself at me.

"Whoa. You were only gone for two minutes." I said with a laugh, returning her eager kiss.

"I know. But I can hardly stand to be away from you for very long now." We went down to the hospital entrance and I hailed a Taxi. She told the driver where her car was and we snuggled together for the short trip. I paid the driver when we got out as she stood by her little orange Ford Fiesta. Taking the driver's seat, she drove us to the motel where she'd been staying and checked out. She grabbed her suitcase and we started the trek back to Boston. About halfway home, we swapped drivers and I took the wheel while she fiddled with the hands-free phone, calling Cody and Bailey.

"Bailey Martin speaking."

"Hey Bailey." She said with a grin.

"Oh my god, Maya!"

"Hi."

"Oh it's so good to hear your voice."

"Is that Maya?" We heard Cody in the back ground.

"Yeah, here I'll put it on speaker phone. Where's Reed?" There was rustling over the line as Bailey switched to speaker and we could hear Cody calling out to Reed.

"Hi daddy. Guess what?" Maya had tears in her eyes hearing her son again.

"What?"

"I'm having a sleepover at Aunty Bailey's house with Kimmie!"

"Aren't you lucky?"

"Yeah. Where are you daddy?"

"I'm coming home now. But I've got a surprise for you. Do you want to know what it is?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey baby boy." Maya said and there was a moment of silence on the line before Cody and Bailey started laughing.

"Reed, that's your mommy on the phone with your dad." Cody explained, still laughing.

"MOMMY!" Reed cried.

"It's me buddy. I'm coming home with daddy."

"Yay! I can tell all my friends that you came home now." Maya rolled her eyes but accepted it.

"Bailey are you still there?" I asked.

"Yeah I'm here."

"We're just heading into Philadelphia for the night and we'll be home tomorrow. We'll probably be at your place around one, is that okay?"

"Sure. We might go out to the park or something in the morning."

"Great. We'll let you get on with your evening then."

"Hang on. Reed, come say goodbye to your mom and dad."

"Bye mommy. Bye daddy. I'll see you soon." Reed's voice came through.

"See you tomorrow, buddy. You be good for Aunty Bailey and Uncle Cody."

"I will." Smiling, Maya hung up just as we pulled in to the car park of a hotel in Philadelphia.


	16. Homecoming

(Bailey P.O.V)

Cody and I woke early the next morning and started getting the kids ready to go out. We'd decided to indeed head to the nearby park for the morning and as I was busy getting Jaeden and the twins dressed, Cody was in the kitchen packing up a picnic for us. Reed and Kimberlee were still asleep as far as I knew but I would go and wake them in a little while.

"There we go. Now you're all dressed for the park. Your mommy will be so happy to see you when she gets back today." I said to Jaeden as I finished dressing him he gurgled at me, almost laughing. I put him in his carrier and turned to Karlee who had fallen asleep again.

"Bails, they have no idea what you're saying." Cody said. I jumped, not realizing that he'd been there.

"You scared me, Codykins."

"Sorry." He said with a laugh.

"You should be."

"I've finished in the kitchen. Where are the other two?"

"Asleep still I think."

"Lazy. I'm sure I've always been awake early." I frowned at him.

"They're two, Cody. Leave them alone."

"Fine. I'll go get them ready and meet you in the garage in a bit." He disappeared and I heard him talking to Reed and Kimberlee who apparently were already awake. It didn't take long until we were piled into the cars and pulling out. In my car, I had Reed and Jaeden while Cody had Kimberlee, Karlee and Lachlan in his. The two toddlers hadn't wanted to go in separate cars but eventually we convinced them it was a good thing. We really could have walked to the park but with three new-borns and two toddlers to control, driving seemed like a better option.

At the park, Kimberlee and Reed made a be-line for the play equipment while Cody and I took turns taking things to the picnic table that we snagged. We waited a little while before calling Reed and Kimberlee over to eat. After eating, I convinced Cody to go and play with them for a while and I got some great photos of the three of them together. All too soon, it was mid-day and we needed to be getting back so that we'd be home when Zack and Maya got there so we began packing everything up and Cody called dibs on putting the twins and Jaeden in the cars so I was left with wrangling Reed and Kimberlee away from the play equipment. Both were upset but when I told Reed it was so we could see his mom, he joined me in coaxing Kimberlee to come.

Eventually we got home and I took Reed upstairs to get him changed out of his muddy clothes so that he would look nice when Maya got here. I didn't want her thinking couldn't look after her son. When he was cleaned, I did the same with Jaeden before finally jumping in the shower myself. I knew my hair wouldn't dry in time for me to do anything so I pulled it back into a fishtail braid and slipped on my black ankle boots to compliment the pretty purple dress I was wearing. Cody fastened the charm bracelet he'd given me around my wrist as he brushed his hair back off his face.

"You need a haircut Codykins." I said.

"I know. I'll get around to it eventually." I shook my head but left the bathroom anyway, going down to the home theatre and putting Frozen on for the kids to watch. While I'd been getting Reed and Jaeden clean, Cody had been doing the same with Kimberlee and the twins so by now, everyone was clean and presentable. Cody joined me downstairs and we watched part of the movie with the kids. We got up to the part where Elsa is building her castle before we heard the doorbell. Together, Cody and I went up to the front door.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Let's do this." He pulled the door open and found Maya standing there, slightly in front of a smiling Zack. I pulled my friend in for a hug, pushing Cody n aside.

"Oh it's so good to see you. I've missed you so much." I said to her.

"I know. I've missed you too." She replied, hugging me back. I could hear Cody and Zack laughing but I ignored them. Finally I pulled back and smiled at her.

"Are you ready to see your boys?"

"I think so."

(Maya P.O.V)

I could feel my heart beating hard as I followed Bailey down to the home theatre. At the door, she put a finger to her lips, gesturing for me to be quiet. I nodded and grinned. She opened the door and I saw the kids sitting on the couch watching the movie. Kimberlee was sort of singing along, trying to get Reed to join her.

"Reed, I've got a surprise for you." Bailey said, turning the movie off.

"Mommy! It was just getting to the good bit!" Kimberlee complained but Reed was completely silent, staring at me.

"Hey little man." I said.

"Mommy?"

"Yeah." His face split into a smile and I felt my heart swell. He jumped off the couch and ran across the room into my open arms, squealing in delight.

"Oh I've missed your cuddles." I said to him through my tears.

"I missed you too mommy." He said to me. And when I went to stand up, he wouldn't let go. I laughed but held on to him anyway. Zack came up to us and wrapped his arms around us both, kissing my forehead.

"We both missed you."

"I'm not leaving again anytime soon." He let go and Reed finally wriggled free and I set him on the ground so I could go to Jaeden. Picking him up, I instantly covered him in kisses. Unlike Reed, he didn't seem to have any reaction to my being there but I knew it was only because he was a baby.

"Maya, why don't we let the boys finish their movie before we go home? I'm sure there's lots to talk about upstairs." Zack interrupted me. Looking up I nodded and put Jaeden back on the floor, following him up to the living room where Cody and Bailey were already waiting.

"I'm sure you guys want to know what happened." I said to them, sitting down next to Zack.

"We do want to know but if you don't want to tell us, that's okay too." Cody told me but I shook my head.

"No, you guys have been affected by all of this almost as much as Zack has. You have a right to know."

"Take your time." Bailey said reassuringly.

"Well, you know about my sister and what happened to her but what you don't know is that when I retraced my steps, I went past that alleyway where she was found. As I did, I heard someone call out for help. I recognized my sister's voice but I chose to ignore it, not wanting to even consider that she was in trouble."

"Oh my god." Bailey interrupted me.

"I know. I feel horrible that I did that, knowing that I could have saved her or been there for her or something. When I told you guys the rest of the story, I deliberately kept that bit from you because I thought you'd hate me for it."

"We could never hate you Maya. What happened in your past has nothing to do with us. We love you for who you are now." Cody said and I sighed inwardly.

"Thanks guys. That means so much to me. I think I can start healing myself now."

"If you ever need anything, just call. Don't ever just leave again." Bailey told me and I laughed.

"I won't. It killed me being away from my boys for so long."

"What about me?" I raised my eyebrow at him and it took a second before he thought over what I'd said. "Oh."

"Right." We all laughed before slipping into natural conversation, as if we'd never been apart. Eventually, the movie ended and we heard Kimberlee yelling from downstairs. Sighing, we went down to the kids and Bailey turned off the TV.

"Kimmie, I want you and Reed to go and pack up his things. Uncle Zack and Aunty Maya want to go home."

"Yes mommy." The two disappeared up to Kimberlee's room and I bent to pick up Jaeden off the floor. He was already asleep so I carefully put him into his carrier and handed him to Zack who carried him up to the car. Reed came down the stairs slowly with his bag, followed closely by Kimberlee.

"I'm ready mommy." Smiling I picked him up and carried him to the car. I made sure he was secure before turning back to Cody and Bailey.

"I can never thank you guys enough for looking after them for me." I said as I hugged them both.

"Well, Zack's my brother so I kind of have to look after him." Cody joked.

"I know but you did so much more. You made sure he held on to hope."

"You're welcome. I just hope we don't have to do it again." Bailey said as I joined Zack in the car. I waved to them as we drove off before sighing and holding Zack's hand over the centre console.

"I love you Zack."

"I love you too Maya, more than you'll ever know."

* * *

**Preview:** Life moves on for the Martin families and with an addition to one of the families, everything looks good.

* * *

**A/N: Finally, Maya is back home where she belongs and everyone is happy to see her. BUT...there's more to come. Don't think the trouble is over for anyone :)**


	17. Smooth Sailing

(Maya P.O.V)

A baby's cry echoed through the house and I sighed, not wanting to get up right now. I rolled over and poked Zack awake.

"What? I was dreaming." He groaned, trying to move away from me.

"Kensi's crying. It's your turn to deal with her." He sighed but got up anyway, sleepily making his way out the door to the nursery. Smiling, I rolled back over and fell asleep again.

It wasn't until much later that I woke up properly. The bed beside me was empty but I could hear the shower in the ensuite running. I was about to go and join Zack but a shout from Reed's room had me going to find out what had happened instead. It was just over a year since Zack had brought me back from Virginia and not long after, I'd fallen pregnant with our third child, Kensi Mae. Reed was happy to have another sibling but Jaeden didn't seem to really have much of an opinion. We'd decided that three kids was enough and I'd sent Zack in for a vasectomy after Kensi was born. He was really good about it all and I knew for a fact that Bailey had convinced Cody to do the same so now we had six kids between the four of us and Carey was overjoyed.

Entering Reed's room I found Jaeden, who had just started walking, attempting to climb up onto Reed's bed. I laughed quietly before crossing the room and sitting on the bottom of the bed, careful not to disturb Reed who was still sleeping.

"Hey buddy. What are you doing in here?" I asked Jaeden, picking him up. Zack must not have shut Reed's door properly last night otherwise Jaeden wouldn't have been able to get in.

"Wakey wakey." Jaeden said to me, pointing at Reed.

"Yeah, I think it's time for Reed to wake up too." I said, shifting Jaeden to sit on my hip and I reached over to shake Reed awake. He groaned sleepily but sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning sleepy head." I said to him.

"Good morning mommy. What's Jaeden doing here?"

"He wanted to say good morning to you."

"Hey Jaeden." He said, grinning at his brother.

"Reed wakey." Jaeden cried and I laughed.

"That's right Jaeden, Reed's awake." Reed shook his head and pushed his blankets down, climbing out of bed.

"Is daddy making breakfast?" He asked.

"No. I'm making breakfast today. Do you want pancakes?" I said, getting up.

"Yes please!" He was excited. I grinned and left the room, reminding him to make sure he looked nice today because we had a surprise for him. I put Reed back in his room and told him to play with his toys until Zack came to get him. Finally, I went into the ensuite where Zack was getting dressed.

"Morning." He said, kissing my forehead.

"Hi. What time did you get back to sleep last night?"

"About four. She just wouldn't settle."

"Sorry. But I'd already been up three times last night."

"I know. I just want her to hurry up and be old enough to sleep through the night so we can get some level of normal sleep." I grinned at him, pushing past into the shower.

"She is a handful, isn't she?" Kensi, unlike her brothers was proving to be quite hard to look after. Both Reed and Jaeden had slept through the night pretty much straight away but Kensi was still waking at all hours four months later.

"Do you think there's something wrong or is she going to be a problem child?"

"I think having a problem child would be good for you, don't you think?" I teased.

"It would be fate's payback for everything Cody and I did."

"More you than Cody, from what I've heard."

"I'll accept that, but Cody has done his fair share of turning mom's hair grey."

"But no, I don't think there's anything wrong with her. She'll come around eventually."

"I hope so."

"Can you go get Jaeden ready? I'll finish my shower and get started on breakfast."

"Sure. Are we just going to let Kensi sleep in?"

"Yeah. I figure she'll probably be awake for most of the afternoon what with ten people in the house."

"Alright." Zack disappeared out the door and I quickly finished my shower. Once done, I pulled my hair into a waterfall braid, letting the ends hang loose to dry. Wrapping a towel around me, I went into the wardrobe and pulled my pink dress off the hanger and slipped it on, adding matching heels and jewelry. After I was finished, I headed down to the kitchen to find Zack already pulling out ingredients for pancakes. Reed was sitting on a bar stool and Jaeden was sitting on the floor, playing with toys.

"I'll finish that." I said, taking the bag of flour from Zack's hand.

"Okay." He went and sat on the floor with Jaeden while Reed leaned forward, resting his elbow on the bench in front of him and sighing.

"What's up Reed?" I asked, focusing half my attention on him and the other half on what I was doing.

"I don't know. I'm just sad."

"Sad about anything in particular?"

"No. Just sad."

"That's no good. Do you think Kimmie coming over will help you cheer up?" I asked. Instantly he brightened.

"Is Uncle Cody and Aunty Bailey coming?"

"Yeah. We're having a bar-b-q for a late lunch."

"Yay!" He cheered and I laughed.

"So are you happy now?"

"Yup. Can I go set out my train set for Kimmie and me to play with?"

"Kimmie and I. And wait until after breakfast. It's almost ready okay?"

"Okay." He jumped down off the bar stool and went to join Zack and Jaeden on the floor. Soon we were all sitting around the table eating pancakes. Kensi had stayed asleep and so we were able to have a quiet morning. When we finished, Reed helped Zack clean the kitchen and I put Jaeden on the floor again while I got started on the cake I wanted to make.

(Bailey P.O.V)

Cody and I slept in this morning, not having to get up early because the twins were at the Tipton and my sister was looking after Kimberlee. Eventually we did get up and showered so that we could collect the kids before heading over to Zack and Maya's. After showering, I slipped on my striped black and green dress and gave my hair a quick blow-dry, curling the ends a bit. I added black heels and a silver locket and I was good to go. Cody was already in the garage when I came down and we climbed into his new Blue Honda CR-V. After the accident on New Year's Eve, my car had been written off and we'd had to buy a new car. In the end, we decided that I would take Cody's Kluger and he bought the CR-V. it worked well considering we had three children under the age of five and were constantly driving them everywhere with us. We would probably get another small car in the future, especially when it came close to time to teach them to drive but for now, we were happy.

Our first stop was my sister's new apartment where she'd moved to last month in an attempt to get away from Moose's idiot cousin, Ferret. That's not actually his name but he's always creeping around and has a small pinched face just like a Ferret so the townspeople gave him that nickname. He'd apparently been hoping that Felicity, my sister, would settle for him and become his farm-wife. She'd heard too many stories of my adventures on board the S.S. Tipton and decided to follow my lead but wasn't game enough to go completely on her own and so bought a small apartment on the outskirts of Boston.

"Hey Bailey. I wasn't expecting you so early. Kimmie's still in her pajamas." Felicity said when she opened the door, still in her own pajamas too.

"Mommy!" Kimberlee came running when she heard Felicity talking to us.

"Hey sweetie. What are you still doing in your jammies?" I asked picking her up.

"We were watching Frozen and eating pancakes." She explained, hugging me. I passed her off to Cody who kissed her forehead.

"Was she good?" I asked Felicity.

"An angel. As always. Kimmie, can you go get dressed for mommy and daddy?"

"I'm going." We sat around Felicity's kitchen table while we waited.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" She asked.

"We've got to pick up Karlee and Lauchie from moms and then we've got some shopping to do before we go to Zack and Maya's. What about you?" Cody informed her.

"I'm still hunting for a proper job. I love the café, it's just that's not what I want to do for the rest of my life."

"I understand. I mean, I spent the majority of my high school days being a towel boy." Cody said and Felicity laughed.

"Bailey told me about that. Something about Zack using up all your food money or something."

"That pretty much sums it up." Kimberlee came running out, dressed in the strangest outfit I've ever seen. She'd put her jeans on but she was wearing a Cookie Monster sweater that I didn't recognize.

"Kimmie what are you wearing?" I asked her.

"Aunty Licy gave it to me. Do you like it mommy?"

"Of course I do. " I told her, glancing at my sister who was laughing. Sending a glare in her direction, I picked up Kimberlee. "Well, we need to be heading off. Thanks for looking after her."

"Any time. It's always nice to have some company." I grinned, hugging her.

"Take care of yourself Felicity. And just remember, we're only a phone call away if you need anything at all."

"I know. Have fun today." She waved as we walked down the hall, Cody carrying Kimberlee's bag and me walking with Kimberlee leaning over my shoulder to wave goodbye. Back in the car, we began the drive further into the city to pick up the twins.

"Hi guys. Come on in." Carey greeted, letting us in when we knocked. Karlee and Lachlan were sitting on the couch watching something on the TV but looked up when we came in.

"Mommy!" Karlee cried, wriggling off the couch. I rushed over to help her and she giggled as I picked her up, swinging her around.

"Hey little miss. How are you?" At the same time, Cody was grabbing Lauchie while Kimberlee got hugged by Carey.

"Were they good?" Cody asked his mom, looking over Lauchie's shoulder.

"Of course they were. I don't believe these three could ever be naughty. Your brothers' boys on the other hand are a different story. And we've yet to see the results of the littlest." Carey teased.

"She seemed fine the other day but growing up in that family is bound to have it's effects." Cody laughed.

"Be nice to your brother." I scolded but he just rolled his eyes at me.

Before long, we were pulling back into our own driveway after a trip to the supermarket and the three kids piled out of the car. Leaving Cody to sort out clothes for Kimberlee, I went into the twins' room to get them ready. For the moment, we'd decided that they could share a room but they would eventually get their own. I dressed Karlee in a cute pink dress and tied her blonde hair up in a ponytail before putting Lachlan in a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt that said 'I'm just too cute to be trouble.' I met Cody in the living room and found that he'd put Kimberlee in a pretty purple sequined top and leggings with her boots. Sitting on the couch, I quickly twisted her hair into a bun and we were on our way to Zack and Maya's.

(Maya P.O.V)

It was about two when the doorbell rang, signaling that Cody and Bailey were here. Zack was already out at the bar-b-q so I went to answer the door. I was just about bowled over by Kimberlee rushing at me and hugging my legs. Laughing, I bent down to hug her back.

"Hey peanut." A while ago, I'd also started calling the little girl 'peanut' and although at first she;d been against it, she was now used to it

"Hi Aunty Maya." Hearing a squeal, I looked up to find Karlee trying to wriggle out of Bailey's arms so I stood up and took the girl from her, laughing.

"Hey missy. You'd better be careful when you wriggle like that. You'll fall down." I told her. By now Kimberlee had let go of my leg and had disappeared to find Reed. Moving aside, I let Cody and Bailey in, ruffling Lauchie's head as they went past. After putting the twins in the living room with Jaeden and Kensi, Bailey joined me in the kitchen and we worked together on the salads to go with the bar-b-q. Cody was out on the porch with Zack, the two of them laughing and talking over a bottle of beer each, occasionally checking the meat. Reed and Kimberlee were in the backyard playing in the treehouse Zack had built a few months ago. All-in all, life was good. I was no longer on my depression meds and I had no trouble with depression at all. Of course, when I'd been taken of the medication, the doctors had warned me that I may have a regression in the future but I didn't think anything could cause me to have regression.

We spent a lazy afternoon together, just relaxing in the sun and talking. Eventually Bailey and I brought the four younger kids outside and we watched as Reed and Kimberlee tried to incorporate them into their game of who knows what. Jaeden and the twins started to get into it but Kensi seemed to not even notice what was going on so I picked her up and cradled her close while I talked to Bailey.

* * *

**Preview:** Cody and Bailey will face some problems at work that will ripple into their home lives


End file.
